The ATP Toronto Masters enters the third day with some interesting encounters on the cards, including several maiden meetings with the big hitters who join the fray on Tuesday. As always, we offer our predictions on who makes it to the next round.
ATP Toronto Day 3 Predictions
Alexandre Muller vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head–to–Head: Muller 1 vs 0 Kecmanovic
Alexandre Muller will be eager to return to form after his devastating loss to Corentin Moutet in Washington. He already has a title on hard courts this year, having won the Hong Kong Open, but has only secured three victories on this surface since that win.
Miomir Kecmanovic secured a narrow victory over Quentin Halys in three sets to kick off his campaign at the Canadian Open. He also claimed a title on hard courts earlier this year after winning at Delray Beach in mid-February.
Muller leads their head-to-head, having defeated Kecmanovic in a thrilling three-set battle on the first day of the year during his title run in Hong Kong, where he saved two match points. There are only ten ranking spots between the two players, which suggests another closely contested match, but the Serbian is in better form.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 3
Tallon Griekspoor vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Tallon Griekspoor’s performance has declined since he won the title in Mallorca at the end of June. Although he was expected to do well at Wimbledon, he was defeated in the first round by Jenson Brooksby, followed by a loss to fellow countryman Jesper de Jong in the second round at Bastad. However, he made it to the semi-final finish of the Dubai hard courts, which included a victory over former world number one Daniil Medvedev. Despite his inconsistent form lately, Griekspoor has a more powerful all-court game and should outplay Etcheverry in their first meeting.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 3
Nuno Borges vs Facundo Bagnis
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Nuno Borges has participated in only one tournament since reaching the third round of Wimbledon for the first time, entering the Swedish Open as the defending champion, but suffered a first-round defeat against Filip Misolic. He has achieved some good results on hard courts, having reached the semifinals in Auckland earlier this year, as well as on the Challenger Tour in Phoenix.
He is set to start his campaign at the National Bank Open against Facundo Bagnis, who secured his first victory on the ATP Tour this season and ended Vasek Pospisil’s career with a three-set win in the opening round.
Bagnis has looked solid in qualifying, and with two matches under his belt in Toronto, he will make this one difficult for the Portuguese.
Prediction: Bagnis in 3
Holger Rune vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Head–to–Head: Rune 0 vs 1 Mpetshi Perricard
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard snapped his four-match losing streak in the first round of the National Bank Open, allowing just one break point and converted 83% of his first serve points as he secured a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory over qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki and will now face, fifth seed Holger Rune who will play his first match on tour in almost a month. His most recent tournament was quite disappointing, as he was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon by Nicolas Jarry despite leading two sets.
Mpetshi Perricard has a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head matchups, having defeated Rune in Basel last autumn. This will not be an easy match for the world number nine as he returns after a break from the tour, and Mpetshi Perricard is expected to be a tough competitor with his strong serve, and it won’t be surprising if he ekes out a win against the rusty Dane.
Prediction: Mpetshi Perricard in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
