Gael Monfils’ amazing hot streak has him in the Toronto semifinals, but world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is standing in his way on Saturday. The winner will go up against either Stan Wawrinka or Kei Nishikori in the title match.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (10) Gael Monfils
Djokovic and Monfils will be going head-to-head for the 12th time in their careers at the ATP level and for the first time in almost two full years when they clash in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup on Saturday. All 11 of their previous encounters have gone the way of Djokovic, who is also an overwhelming 10-0 at Monfils’ expense on hard courts. If there is any good news for the underdog Frenchman, it’s that Djokovic needed a third-set tiebreaker to survive the last time they squared off in Toronto (6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) in 2014).
Speaking of good news for Monfils, he is playing the smartest, most intense, and quite simply the best tennis of his career right now. The 29-year-old is 30-9 for the season, registers at 14th in the world, will be no worse than No. 8 in the Race to London on Monday, and will break back into the top 10 if he beats Djokovic. Monfils has followed up his biggest title as a professional in Washington, D.C. with victories this week over Joao Sousa, Vasek Pospisil, David Goffin, and Milos Raonic. Djokovic has not been at his very best through three matches, but he has at least showcased a better mental and physical state than what was on display when he lost to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon third round. The top-seeded Serb is through to the last four thanks to defeats of Gilles Muller, Radek Stepanek, and Tomas Berdych. Amidst what is sure to be an entertaining night-session atmosphere against one of the toughest opponents in the business, Djokovic should raise his level just enough to maintain his mastery of Monfils.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
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(3) Kei Nishikori vs. (2) Stan Wawrinka
Based on their 2014 U.S. Open showdown, it would be fair to say that there have been far too few installments of the Wawrinka-Nishikori rivalry. During quarterfinal action in Flushing Meadows two years ago, Nishikori prevailed 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 6-7(5), 6-4 on his way to a surprising runner-up finish. It is Wawrinka, though, who leads the head-to-head series 3-1. The fifth-ranked Swiss boasts a trio of straight-set victories at Nishikori’s expense dating back to 2012, and he most recently got the job done 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) at last year’s Australian Open.
Although neither man has been completely on fire this season, both appear to be heading for berths in the World Tour Finals. Wawrinka, a semifinalist at the French Open this spring, is 31-10 for his 2016 campaign following straight-set wins in Toronto over Mikhail Youzhny, Jack Sock, and Kevin Anderson. Nishikori has advanced by taking out Dennis Novikov, Rajeev Ram, and Grigor Dimitrov, surrendering one set to Dimitrov in the process. The world No. 6 is bouncing back nicely after retiring from a Wimbledon fourth-round match against Marin Cilic. But a fourth outing in four days can always be a tough proposition for the fragile Nishikori, and Wawrinka has noticeably improved with each round this week.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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