It will be an all-American affair between Learner Tien and Tommy Paul when Montreal Masters third-round action concludes on Friday. Matteo Arnaldi and Tallon Griekspoor are also aiming for a place in the last 16.
(12) Learner Tien vs. (17) Tommy Paul
Tien’s first match at the National Bank Open was a roller-coaster, as he held off Gael Monfils 6-3, 0-6, 6-3 on Wednesday night. It was a much-needed win for Tien, but not necessarily an impressive one against a 39-year-old opponent who is about to retire. The 19th-ranked American was less than 100 percent during a Wimbledon second-round loss to Marton Fucsovics and then lost right away in Washington, D.C. to Adrian Mannarino. He appears to still be dealing with a left-arm injury.
Up next for Tien on Friday is a second meeting with Paul, who won their only previous encounter 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier this season in Delray Beach. The 21st-ranked American also lost right away in D.C. (7-5, 7-6(4) to Kamil Majchrzak) but bounced back to beat Valentin Royer 6-4, 7-6(5) on Wednesday. Tien is struggling a bit physically and a matchup with Paul is never an easy day at the office, so the No. 17 seed should have the edge in this one.
Pick: Paul in 2
Tallon Griekspoor vs. (30) Matteo Arnaldi
Arnaldi and Griekspoor will also be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this year. They previously faced each other in round one at Roland Garros, where Arnaldi prevailed 6-7(9), 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-3 on his eventual way to the semifinals.
Since then, though, it has been rough sledding for Arnaldi. The 35th-ranked Italian had won just a single main-draw match and had not defeated anyone ranked better than No. 142 since the French Open until he got the best of Fabian Marozsan 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in Montreal. Griekspoor was in an even bigger slump, but the 69th-ranked Dutcman is turning it all around this fortnight. He opened with a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory over Lorenzo Sonego and then upset No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday. Anything close to his second-round level should be enough for Griekspoor to handle Arnaldi on a hard court.
Pick: Griekspoor in 2
WWW?
I don’t know who’s going to win, but the desktop version of your website is visually excellent. Not that there’s anything wrong with the phone version, but especially on a widescreen monitor the embedding into a tennis arena looks great and the design on the page itself too – photos, fonts, colours etc. We have a graphic designer in the house so usually go “meh” looking at web pages. This site looks so much better than the ATP or the Tennis Australia sites, not to mention the woeful WTA site, and I bet they had bigger budgets than you guys.
Tien in 3, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5.