Toronto R2 previews and predictions: Alcaraz vs. Shelton, Korda vs. Vukic

Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will kick off his North American hard-court swing against promising young American Ben Shelton. Sebastian Korda will be in second-round action against Aleksandar Vukic.

(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton

This National Bank Open second-round battle of the ATP Next Generation is perhaps not the blockbuster that it promises to be one day. Shelton is still fighting for consistency and to realize the full potential of his big-serving game that propelled him to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open at the start of the season. It hasn’t happened just yet for the world No. 41.

Shelton’s results have been markedly disappointing since his run in Melbourne. He bizarrely crashed out of both Atlanta and Washington D.C. in the first round at the hands of the world No. 149 Juncheng Shang. The American had a good win over Bernabe Zapatas Miralles in the first round this week but can’t be pleased to see Carlos Alcaraz so early in the draw.

Alcaraz has completely lived up to the massive hype surrounding him. The 20 year-old is the current holder of both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles. He had a little letdown at the French, where he came up short against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, but his season has otherwise been spectacular.

This one should go Alcaraz’s direction. The Spaniard has a much better all-court game and he’ll be brimming with confidence following his win at the All-England Club.

Cheryl pick: Alcaraz in 2

Ricky pick: Alcaraz in 2

Sebastian Korda vs. (LL) Aleksandar Vukic

Sebastian Korda has had a few good results in 2023, including his own run to the quarters at the Australian Open–where he was forced to retire with injury. The 23-year-old American had a solid run to the semis at Queen’s Club but he crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round. Toronto is his second hard-court tournament of the summer following a loss to Alexander Shevchenko in Washington, D.C.

Aleksandar Vukic heads into the remainder of the summer hard-court season off the best result of his career. The Australian made the final in Atlanta a couple weeks ago and enjoys a career-high ranking of 62nd in the world.

This has the makings of a compelling second-round encounter. Korda looked good in his opener against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, while Vukic had to rely on Grigor Dimitrov’s withdrawal from the event to gain entry. Expect a tough match, with the American just pulling it out.

Cheryl pick: Korda in 3

Ricky pick: Korda in 3