Toronto R2 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Harris, Rublev vs. Fognini

Rafael Nadal will be looking to avenge his Washington, D.C. defeat when he runs into Lloyd Harris again on Wednesday in Toronto. Second-round action also features a showdown between familiar foes Andrey Rublev and Fabio Fognini.

Lloyd Harris vs. (2) Rafael Nadal

It will be a rematch of last week’s newsworthy Washington, D.C. third-round battle between Nadal and Harris when they meet again in round two of the National Bank Open on Wednesday. In what was their first-ever encounter, Harris pulled off a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 upset. The 49th-ranked South African delivered an impressive performance, but Nadal was coming off a three-set thriller against Jack Sock one day earlier and was still dealing with a foot injury that plagued him at the French Open.

The rematch pretty much all comes down to Nadal’s physical state. His foot problem at least improved against Harris compared to where it was in the win over Sock, which is reason for some encouragement heading into Toronto. Harris, who lost his next match in the district to Kei Nishikori, earned another shot at the 35-year-old Spaniard by beating Canadian wild card Brayden Schnur 6-3, 6-2 on Monday. If Nadal is close to 100 percent this time around, look for him to exact revenge in relatively convincing fashion.

Pick: Nadal in 2

(4) Andrey Rublev vs. Fabio Fognini

Rublev and Fognini will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers and for the third time this season when they collide once more on Wednesday. Fognini leads the head-to-head series 5-3, but all five of his wins came before Rublev became the real Rublev (prior to the start of 2020). They have faced each other twice in 2021 and the Russian has prevailed on both occasions; 6-1, 6-2 in the ATP Cup final and 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at Wimbledon.

Although Rublev cooled off earlier this summer following a hot start to the season, a gold medal in mixed doubles at the Olympics (with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) may be just what the doctor ordered. That should have him reinvigorated on the heels of an understandable mental and physical letdown. The world No. 7 will be well-rested, too, having played only one singles match since Wimbledon. Fognini, who defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 on Monday, obviously has the talent to be competitive in just about any situation. However, the 36th-ranked Italian remains wildly unreliable every time he takes the court and Rublev appears to be set up well for a productive week in Canada.

Pick: Rublev in 3