Toronto R2 previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Tsitsipas, Raonic vs. Tiafoe

The number of Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas matches is getting out of hand in 2018, and they will face each other again on Wednesday in Toronto. Second-round also includes a meeting between Milos Raonic and Frances Tiafoe.

(7) Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Thiem and Tsitsipas will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the fifth time this season when they battle for a spot in the Rogers Cup third round on Wednesday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in favor of Thiem, who is 2-0 against Tsitsipas on hard courts with a straight-set win in Doha and a three-set victory at the Indian Wells Masters. They split a pair of clay-court contests, with Tsitsipas scoring a 6-3, 6-2 upset in Barcelona before the Austrian restored order in the form of a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 French Open success.

Not too surprisingly, things have gone south for Thiem in a hurry since finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. The world No. 8 compiled a 1-2 record on grass and even struggled upon returning to his preferred clay-court surface, losing to Nicolas Jarry in the Hamburg quarterfinals and to eventual champion Martin Klizan right away in Kitzbuhel. Tsitsipas is in the midst of a breakout 2018 campaign in which he is sporting a 26-18 record that has him up to 27th in the rankings. The 19-year-old Greek had won only four tour-level matches in his career prior to this season. Coming off a fourth-round performance at Wimbledon and a semifinal run in Washington, D.C., Tsitsipas has the edge in current form and a hard court will only help his chances against Thiem–their results from earlier in the year notwithstanding.

Pick: Tsitsipas in 3

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Frances Tiafoe vs. Milos Raonic

Home-court advantage has been a very real thing for Canadians at the Rogers Cup in recent seasons, and Raonic is no exception. The former world No. 3 finished runner-up to Nadal at this tournament in 2013 (Montreal) and he has reached the quarterfinals each of the last three times it has been held in Toronto (2012, 2014, 2016). Raonic laid the framework for another run when he made quick 6-3, 6-4 work of David Goffin on Monday night. The 27-year-old is now 21-8 in 2018 and 10-2 in his last 12 matches, which includes a quarterfinal result at Wimbledon.

Up next for Raonic on Wednesday is a first-ever showdown against Tiafoe, who has put himself in distant contention for U.S. Open seeding–and certainly for seeding at the 2019 slams–with a career-high ranking of No. 41 in the world. The 20-year-old American’s season includes a title in Delray Beach, a fourth-round performance in Miami, a final appearance in Estoril, and recent third-round showings at Wimbledon and in Washington, D.C. Tiafoe is confident right now, but his service return is not a strength and Raonic will likely be too powerful and simply too good in front of the home crowd.

Pick: Raonic in 2

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