The stage is set for a blockbuster second round matchup at the ATP National Bank Open in Montreal as World #1 Daniil Medvedev faces a red-hot Nick Kyrgios in what promises to be an extremely entertaining contest. we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Yoshihito Nishioka, Andrey Rublev vs Dan Evans and Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan. But who will book their place in the round of 16?
ATP Montreal Day 3 Predictions
Roberto Bautista-Agut vs Jenson Brooksby
H2H: 1-1.
Expect a marathon match when the fourteenth seeded Roberto Bautista Agut faces Jenson Brooksby. The only other meeting between the pair on a hard court took place in Miami earlier this year, Brooksby won 6-3 5-7 6-4 in a match lasting three hours. There’s little to separate the pair, both are extremely solid from the back of the court without possessing a huge serve. The Brooksby forehand and second serve are probably the weakest shots in this matchup, giving the Spaniard the slight edge in what should be a close match.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe
H2H: Fritz 3-1.
Tyler Fritz enjoys a good recent record over Frances Tiafoe having won their last three encounters, including a commanding 6-4 6-3 7-6 win at the Australian Open earlier this year in their most recent clash. I like Fritz in this matchup, he has the power to outhit Tiafoe from the back of the court and also possess a bigger, more reliable serve. Fritz needs to be off his game for Tiafoe to stand a chance in this matchup. That doesn’t seem likely, Fritz looked strong in a 6-1 6-3 opening round demolition of Andy Murray in Montreal and has generally been in better form than Tiafoe for a while now.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jack Draper
H2H: First meeting.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be back in action for the first time since his epic fourth-round loss to Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon a month ago. The third seeded Tsitsipas received a bye through the opening round in Montreal, he faces the rising Jack Draper in the second round. Draper has rocketed up the rankings of late and looked strong in a 6-2 6-3 opening round win over Hugo Gaston. Draper may be on the rise, but he hasn’t shown he has the level to really challenge a player like Tsitsipas in these conditions. Expect Tsitsipas to be a class above.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
Daniil Medvedev vs Nick Kyrgios
H2H: Kyrgios 2-1.
Daniil Medvedev outlasted Nick Kyrgios 7-6 6-4 4-6 6-2 when the pair met at the Australian Open earlier this year. Nick Kyrgios will be eager for revenge and would fancy his chance coming into this match as one of the hottest players on tour right now. Kyrgios arrives in Montreal fresh from winning his seventh ATP singles title in Washington D.C and made a decent start this week with a 6-4 6-4 opening round win over Sebastian Baez. Daniil Medvedev also arrives n Montreal fresh from winning a title having captured ATP singles title number 14 in Los Cabos.
I’m going to side with Medvedev here. There is a lot of hype around Kyrgios right now and fair enough, but let’s not forget that Medvedev is the top ranked player in the world and certainly the better player of the two. Expect Medvedev to mean business in this matchup and get the job done.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
