A jam-packed day at the Montreal Masters includes an all-American showdown between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. Stefanos Tsitsipas is kicking off his week on Wednesday against Jack Draper, who qualified for the main draw.
Frances Tiafoe vs. (10) Taylor Fritz
Fritz and Tiafoe will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the National Bank Open on Wednesday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in favor of Fritz, who lost their first encounter at the 2016 Indian Wells Masters but has since reeled off three victories in a row. They most recently faced each other at this year’s Australian Open, where Fritz prevailed 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5).
A title in Indian Wells and a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon has Fritz in contention for a Nitto ATP Finals appearance in 2022. He added another win on Tuesday in Montreal by crushing Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3. Tiafoe advanced on Tuesday night by beating Benjamin Bonzi 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-3–a much-needed result after squandering six match points against Nick Kyrgios in last week’s Washington, D.C. quarterfinals. Fritz is in better form and is more rested, so this could be one-way traffic even though it’s an intriguing matchup on paper.
Pick: Fritz in 2
(Q) Jack Draper vs. (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas won an ATP 250 title on the grass courts of Mallorca a couple of months ago, but he has otherwise struggled since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Rome final this spring. The fifth-ranked Greek is coming off a Wimbledon third-round loss to Nick Kyrgios–one of the most notable matches of the year, and not because of the actual tennis.
Having not played since leaving the All-England Club and then receiving a bye in Montreal, Tsitsipas will try to shake off the rust when he runs into Draper on Wednesday. Draper has already won three matches at this event, qualifying for the main draw and then easing past Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3. The 20-year-old Brit has earned nine of his 11 career ATP-level wins this season and is up to No. 82 in the rankings. An upset is by no means out of the question, but Tsitsipas should be able to find his game in time to hold off one of the tour’s rising stars.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
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