Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are on a collision course for the quarterfinals in the top half of the Toronto draw. Of course, they won’t be looking past round three with Hubert Hurkacz and Andy Murray on the other side of the net.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (15) Hubert Hurkacz
Alcaraz may be the top seed at the National Bank Open, but the draw is not doing him any favors. Playing his first hard-court match since Miami, the Spaniard faced fellow 20-year-old Ben Shelton on Wednesday night and survived a competitive 6-3, 7-6(3) encounter. Next up for Alcaraz during third-round action on Thursday is Hurkacz, who finished runner-up at this tournament last summer. Their only previous meeting came at the 2022 Miami Open, where Alcaraz prevailed 7-6(5), 7-6(2).
With a win under his belt and an even more dangerous opponent on the other side of the net, the top seed figures to raise his level in this one. Hurkacz has been in decent form this week with hard-fought wins over Alexander Bublik and Miomir Kecmanovic, but an immediate loss in Washington, D.C. to Michael Mmoh remains concerning. Alcaraz should be able to take care of business in straight sets en route to the quarterfinals.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
Andy Murray vs. (7) Jannik Sinner
If you thought Alcaraz’s draw was tough, consider that of Sinner. The Italian’s opener came against former world No. 6 Matteo Berrettini (6-4, 6-3) and now he has to get past Murray just to reach the quarters. The head-to-head series is tied at 1-1 heading into Thursday’s showdown, with Murray winning 7-6(4), 6-3 two years ago in Stockholm before Sinner scored a 7-5, 6-2 victory last season in Dubai.
Murray has already played five sets in Toronto, four of which have been difficult. The 36-year-old Scot knocked off Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(3), 6-0 and then outlasted Max Purcell 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5 from a break down in the third set on Wednesday evening. That contest lasted two hours and 47 minutes. With Sinner in awesome form and coming off a much more convincing win in round two, this could be mostly one-way traffic for the favorite.
Pick: Sinner in 2
who ya got?
Both close matches.
Alcaraz in 3
Murray in 3
Sinner in a tight two, Hubie in three
Carlos feeling the effects and gets upset
Murray had his chances against Fritz and is in peak condition right now. Will be hard to beat.
Alcaraz Hurkacz is a tight one too.
Carlos in a tight 3….Sinner in 2 over a tired Murray.
Murray’s not tired; nowhere near it.
Sinner prob wins in 3 but Murray is a chance.