First-round action at the Montreal Masters continues on Monday, when an all-qualifier showdown features Stefanos Tsitsipas and Martin Damm. Gael Monfils begins his final appearance at this tournament against Kamil Majchrzak.
(Q) Martin Damm vs. (Q) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas and Damm will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Monday after successfully playing their way into the National Bank Open main draw. Only one round of qualifying was required; Tsitsipas disposed of Keegan Rice 6-3, 6-4, while Damm defeated Henrique Rocha 6-3, 7-6(3).
It has been a disappointing 2026 campaign for Tsitsipas, although he showed signs of turning things around with a clay-court title in Gstaad last month. On hard courts, however, the jury is still out — and that’s an understatement. The world No. 51 is 6-8 in his last 14 hard-court matches at ATP tournaments after losing to Alex de Minaur in the Washington, D.C. opening round. Damm is playing well, having advanced one round at Wimbledon before successfully qualifying in D.C. and pushing Ben Shelton to three sets. If the 6’8” American puts in a high percentage of first serves, Tsitsipas could be in trouble.
Pick: Damm in 3
Kamil Majchrzak vs. (WC) Gael Monfils
Monfils is retiring at the end of this season, so this is his last trip to Canada. The 39-year-old Frenchman is 24-13 lifetime at this event (Montreal and Toronto combined) with semifinal showings in 2016 and 2019 plus three other quarterfinal finishes. Of course, Monfils is well past his prime at this point as he comes down the stretch of his career. He is just 3-7 on the main tour in 2026 and registers at 326th in the rankings.
Up first for Monfils on Monday is Majchrzak, whom he has never faced. The world No. 72 from Poland is enjoying a solid season, with a 14-12 record at the ATP level — highlighted by his first title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Majchrzak is coming off a second-round effort in Washington, where he beat Tommy Paul before falling to Taylor Fritz. Anything close to that same level of play should be more than good enough to make quick work of Monfils.
Pick: Majchrzak in 2
WWW?
Ricky, girl, what did Tsitsipas do to you?