Day 3 of the Rogers Cup is here! An action-packed week continues as we move on to second round action in Montreal. Who will rise to the occasion and who will fall short? Will top seed Rafael Nadal advance? Read on to find out! We also have predictions for other Montreal Day 3 matches.
ATP Montreal Rogers Cup Day 3 Predictions
Marin Cilic vs John Millman
Head to Head: 1-0 Cilic
Marin Cilic battles John Millman in the second round of Montreal. Cilic beat Bradley Klahn in straight sets in the first round, saving a set point in the second set tiebreak. Millman, a lucky loser, recovered from a break deficit in the third set to beat Feliciano Lopez.
Cilic beat Millman in three sets in their only meeting on a hard court in Shenzhen. This match will be a good test to see if Cilic has the controlled aggression and rally tolerance to beat a very solid player in Millman. When Cilic is off, he tends to become wild from the baseline and overhit, so this match will be a good barometer of where his level is heading towards the US Open. While Cilic looked decent in Washington and won in his first match in Montreal, given his struggles earlier this season, I’m not convinced that he is quite at the level to beat Millman. Millman wins a tight one.
Prediction: Millman in 3
Cristian Garin vs John Isner
Head to Head: never played
Cristian Garin takes on John Isner with a trip to the Montreal round of 16 at stake. Garin picked up his first win since Rosmalen with a straight sets victory over Laslo Djere in the first round. Isner came back from a set deficit and won a third set tiebreak to beat Jordan Thompson in his first round match.
These two have never played before. Garin will try to get as many of Isner’s serves back in play and dominate rallies. Isner will be looking to control the match with his big serve and huge forehands. Isner is so good on hard courts this time of year that it’s hard to pick against him. While Garin did well to break his losing streak, beating Isner is a step too far for the Chilean. Isner moves on.
Prediction: Isner in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs Dominic Thiem
Head to Head: 1-0 Thiem
Denis Shapovalov battles Dominic Thiem in the second round of Montreal. Shapovalov beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets in the first round. This will be Thiem’s first match of the tournament, although he did win a clay court 250 event in Kitzbuhel last week. Thiem will need to adjust to the hard courts very quickly in order to win this match.
Thiem won the only match between these two on the hard courts of Acapulco last season. Shapovalov will have the crowd on his side in this match. Montreal is where Shapovalov beat del Potro and Nadal on his way to the semifinals of the Roger Cup a couple years ago, and he clearly likes these courts. Given that Thiem has just traveled in to Montreal from Europe, it’s unknown whether he will be adequately prepared for this event. Shapovalov wins in an upset.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Dan Evans
Head to Head: never played
Top-seed Rafael Nadal takes on Dan Evans in the second round of the Rogers Cup. This is Nadal’s first match of the tournament, and first match since losing to Roger Federer in the semifinals of Wimbledon. However, given his previous huge successes on hard courts, don’t expect too much of an adjustment period from the Spaniard. Evans has had a great year and is set to break into the top 50 once more and approach his career high ranking of World No. 41.
These two have never played before. Evans will be looking to use his backhand slice to throw Nadal off of his rhythm, while Nadal will be looking to control the court with his topspin-heavy forehand. While Evans has had a great year, Nadal is too tough of an opponent. Nadal advances.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
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