Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka will continue their Toronto campaigns on Thursday. Quarterfinal spots will be at stake when they go up against Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson, respectively.
(12) Richard Gasquet vs. (8) Andy Murray
Gasquet and Murray will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they do battle in round three of the Rogers Cup on Thursday. Murray leads the head-to-head series 5-3 and has won five of their last six encounters. They have not faced each other since the 2013 Miami event, where Murray scored a 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2 victory. The ninth-ranked Scot is currently contesting his first tournament since Wimbledon and he opened in style on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-2 rout of Nick Kyrgios. Still looking for his first title of 2014, Murray is 32-12 on the season.
It has already been a strong week for Gasquet, who navigated his way through a tough draw to reach the last 16. The 13th-ranked Frenchman avenged a Washington, D.C. semifinal loss to Vasek Pospisil with a 7-5, 7-5 win before overcoming Ivo Karlovic 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the second round. Gasquet appears to be rounding into form after a slow start to the summer, but Murray is more rested than his opponent and if he plays aggressive tennis he should be able to dictate play to his opponent’s forehand.
Pick: Murray in 3
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(3) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Kevin Anderson
Wawrinka began this year 13-0, with titles in Chennai and at the Australian Open. His first loss came to none other than Anderson, via a 6-7(1), 6-4, 1-6 decision in the Indian Wells fourth round. Overall, however, Wawrinka leads the head-to-head series 3-1 heading into Thursday’s showdown. The fourth-ranked Swiss won 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) last fall in Shanghai and he prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 when these two men also faced each other in the Rogers Cup third round three years ago.
Perhaps lucky to even be alive in this tournament, Wawrinka opened with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over good friend Benoit Paire on Tuesday night. It was the third seed’s first match since losing to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Anderson scraped past Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 before steamrolling Fabio Fognini 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday. The latter is a good win for the 6’8” South African, but also not exactly anything to write home about on a hard court. Wawrinka was fatigued both mentally and physically the last time he met Anderson but he is well-rested now, so look for the favorite to turn the tide back in his favor this time around.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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I think Anderson is going to play Stan very close, maybe even beat him;, and Gasquet vs Murray seems like a 50-50 to me!
Stan is out. I had a feeling Anderson might win this one. Didn’t think he’d do it in straight sets, though.