The night session in Montreal on Thursday will see Rafael Nadal go up against surprising third-round performer Denis Shapovalov. Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (WC) Denis Shapovalov
Nadal’s draw at the Rogers Cup has opened up nicely, to the extent that his path to No. 1 in the world is clear. The top-seeded Spaniard must reach only the semifinals to officially regain the highest ranking next Monday, but for a moment the likes of John Isner, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Milos Raonic were in the way. No more. Isner and Del Potro had to square off in round one (the Argentine prevailed in straight sets), Del Potro promptly lost his next match to Shapovalov, and both Raonic and David Goffin have also tumbled out of that section of the bracket.
The immediate result is an unexpected showdown between Nadal and Shapovalov on Thursday night. On the heels of an opening bye, the world No. 2 had no trouble advancing with a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown of Borna Coric on Wednesday. Shapovalov saved four matches to get through his opener 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 over Rogerio Dutra Silva before downing Del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4). The 18-year-old Canadian, who registers at 143rd in the rankings, has picked up the fourth and fifth ATP-level match victories of his career (compared to seven losses). Perhaps drained both mentally and physically, Shapovalov may not have enough left to seriously trouble a well-rested and in-form Nadal.
Pick: Nadal in 2
[polldaddy poll=9806359]
(4) Alexander Zverev vs. (16) Nick Kyrgios
Zverev and Kyrgios were slated to square off in the Washington, D.C. third round, as well. Kyrgios, though, was still dealing with a hip injury and he retired from his first-rounder against Tennys Sandgren. That left the door wide open for Zverev and the 20-year-old German walked through it, ultimately capturing the fifth title of his career. Fast forward one week and Kyrgios is back in business, ready to challenge his good friend and occasional doubles partner. The 24th-ranked Australian has destroyed Viktor Troicki and Paolo Lorenzi without dropping more than three games in any set, improving his 2017 record to an abbreviated 21-10.
Like Shapovalov (and several others in Montreal), Zverev has found himself one point from boarding a plane for Cincinnati. Instead, the world No. 8 survived a 49-shot rally and recovered to beat Richard Gasquet 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) in a second-round thriller. Zverev is now an incredible 42-13 this season, including 13-2 in his last 15 matches dating back to Halle. He does, however, have some odds stacked against him. Montreal’s eighth seed is coming off a long week in Washington, D.C. and he is 0-2 lifetime against Kyrgios–with losses earlier this year in Indian Wells and Miami.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
[polldaddy poll=9806358]
Leave a Reply