Jakub Mensik will be in action on Friday at the Montreal Masters against giant killer Terence Atmane. Hubert Hurkacz will take the court against Botic van de Zandschulp as third-round action comes to a close.
Hubert Hurkacz vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
This is Hubert Hurkacz’s first tournament back since he retired hurt at Wimbledon while a set away from another second-week run. He has shown no ill effects so far at the National Bank Open, grinding past Marcos Giron 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 before knocking out Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 7-6(4). The world No. 72 reached the final at this event back in 2022, so he clearly knows how to navigate this court when healthy. Botic van de Zandschulp, meanwhile, has been pocketing upset after upset. After beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in round one, he ousted fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev to reach round three.
These two have met just once, a five-set marathon at the 2021 French Open that Van de Zandschulp won after dropping the first two sets in tiebreakers. That was on clay and it’s ancient history at this point, but it says something about his ability to hang around against a bigger hitter. Van de Zandschulp is playing with nothing to lose and has the better recent form. I’ll take him to get through a tight one.
Cheryl pick: Van de Zandschulp in 3
Ricky pick: Hurkacz in 3
(13) Jakub Mensik vs. Terence Atmane
Jakub Mensik has quietly put together one of the better seasons on tour, sitting at 26-13 in 2026 with a title in Auckland and a run to the French Open semifinals. He needed three sets to get past Jacob Fearnley to reach this round, a reminder that his results haven’t always come easily even in a strong year. Terence Atmane is the story of the week in Montreal. The unseeded Frenchman opened with a win over Jack Draper and followed it up by taking out Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6(3) — a run that has turned him into the player nobody wants to see across the net right now.
Mensik and Atmane have never played each other, so there’s no history to lean on here. Atmane’s game has a flashy, high-variance quality that can be hard to prepare for — and he is carrying real belief following two top-40 upsets. But Mensik has the bigger weapons and the deeper resume, including a Masters 1000 title, and that class should eventually show up in a match like this. I’m giving the nod to Mensik, but I expect Atmane to make him work for it.
Cheryl pick: Mensik in 3
Ricky pick: Mensik in 3
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btw mensik reached french open semis