We've got three picks from the Canadian Open today, and while a couple of these look pretty straightforward, the Michelsen-Struff match is one worth keeping an eye on. Who do you think makes it through?
Canadian Open Predictions
Alex Michelsen vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Head-to-head: Michelsen 1-0 Struff
Michelsen leads their only meeting, but Struff is a tricky opponent on hard courts and his heavy, high-kicking serve can cause real problems for anyone on a given day. At 42 and 41 in the world respectively, these two are pretty evenly matched on paper, and this one could easily go deep into a third.
That said, Michelsen is the younger player trending upward, and I think that matters on a big stage like Montreal. Struff's game can go either way in a hurry, and if Michelsen keeps the unforced errors down he should have enough to close it out, all things considered.
Prediction: Michelsen in 3
Jiri Lehecka vs Vit Kopriva
Head-to-head: Lehecka 1-0 Kopriva
Two Czechs, one ranked nearly 60 spots above the other. Lehecka has been one of the more consistent top-15 players this year and his flat, aggressive ball off both wings is well-suited to hard courts. Kopriva is a decent player but hard to see this being competitive at all given the gap in level between them on this surface.
Prediction: Lehecka in 2
James Duckworth vs Alex De Minaur
Head-to-head: Duckworth 0-2 De Minaur
De Minaur hasn't lost to Duckworth in two tries and there's no reason to think today changes that. De Minaur's speed and defensive retrieval make him a nightmare for players who rely on grinding from the baseline and Duckworth doesn't have the weapons to hurt him before the Australian gets into the rally. Ranked 79 places lower and without a win in this H2H, Duckworth's path here is very narrow.
Prediction: Minaur in 2
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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