The Olympics are nonetheless occurring (Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are squaring off within the males’s singles gold-medal match on Sunday), however the tennis tour is losing no time progressing to the following occasion. Instantly on the heels of the Olympics and the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. is the Nationwide Financial institution Open. It’s a 1000-point match–for the boys in Montreal and for the ladies in Toronto.
Evidently, there might be loads of weary our bodies in Montreal. That gained’t be the case for world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, as a result of he was pressured out of the Olympics by tonsillitis. As an alternative of constructing every kind of floor transitions (clay to grass to clay and now to laborious courts), Sinner has been resting up for the hard-court summer time. Actually, the Italian–who has not performed since Wimbledon–has already been in Montreal for an entire week.
Sinner is the No. 1 seed this coming week and is an particularly clear title favourite since each Djokovic and Alcaraz have predictably withdrawn from the match. In fact, it’s not like Sinner might be with out competitors. Different high seeds embrace Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Following a bye, Sinner may meet Frances Tiafoe within the third spherical, Rublev or Tommy Paul within the quarters, and Medvedev or Tsitsipas within the SFs. Tsitsipas will doubtless run into Alex Michelsen within the final 32 and Arthur Fils within the final 16, whereas Medvedev doubtlessly opens with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tiafoe vs. Alejandro Tabilo is a first-round match.
The underside half of the bracket is house to a handful of intriguing first-round showdowns: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Flavio Cobolli, Ben Shelton vs. Alexander Bublik, Jack Draper vs. Jordan Thompson, and Holger Rune vs. Milos Raonic.
If the seeds maintain to kind, quarterfinal matchups can be Hubert Hurkacz vs. Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner vs. Rublev, Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas, and Zverev vs. Ruud.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and in addition maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You may observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
