The ATP National Bank Open in Montreal has faced significant delays due to persistent rain, leading to an entire day of scheduled matches being canceled. As a result, some of the players had to play two matches in a single day to catch up. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for the remaining two quarterfinals. But who will advance to the semifinals?
ATP Montreal Quarterfinal Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-Head: Popyrin 0-3 Hurkacz
Alexei Popyrin saved three match points against Grigor Dimitrov in the second set to reach the quarterfinals. It seems like Popyrin likes to play on the hard courts of North America. He made the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters last year and has backed that up by making the same here at the National Bank Open. The Australian player has a great chance to make his first Masters semifinal.
Hubert Hurkacz is well and truly back after his knee surgery. Playing two three-setters in a day and winning both after losing the first set is a great achievement from Hurkacz. His serve looked as good as ever and he was clutch in converting break points. This week will give him a lot of confidence going forward and it’s not over yet. These two have met three times and all three meetings have come in hard-court Masters events. Hurkacz has never lost a set against Popyrin and got broken just once.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 2
Alexander Zverev vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Alexander Zverev will be glad to make it out of his third-round match in straight sets. Holger Rune is in itself a tough enough opponent and add to it the super windy conditions which made it difficult to play at a good level. Zverev dealt with the conditions better and served well for most of the match. His movement didn’t look perfect but maybe it was affected because of the wind. Zverev is the favourite from the top half to reach the final but he has a tough match ahead.
Sebastian Korda is having a great North American hard-court season so far. He was scheduled to play two matches on Saturday but ended up playing just one as Casper Ruud withdrew before the third-round match. Korda played a great match against Taylor Fritz in the second round. He dominated the backhand-to-backhand rallies, which might be key against Zverev. He is full of confidence at the moment and with just one completed match this week, he has saved his energy too. Surprisingly, Zverev and Korda have never faced each other. Korda has a genuine shot here if things go his way but it’s a big “if.”
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
