A few third-round picks from Montreal today, and there are some genuinely interesting matchups to dig into. Who do you think gets through?
Canadian Open Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Joao Fonseca
Head-to-head: Ruud 0-1 Fonseca
Fonseca already has a win over Ruud on his record, and on hard courts too, so there's no mystery about whether the Brazilian can handle him. At 18, he's been turning heads all year and his game translates well to this surface, with that heavy forehand giving him real problems on the return.
Ruud isn't in the worst form of his life, but he's never been the most comfortable on hard courts and Fonseca is exactly the kind of player who can expose that. The H2H already points one way and I think the result is the same here.
Prediction: Fonseca in 3
Terence Atmane vs Jakub Mensik
Head-to-head: First meeting
Mensik has been one of the more exciting young players on tour this year and his big serve plays well on hard courts, making him tough to break and giving him free points when he needs them. That said, Atmane is a solid ball-striker and ranked high enough to be dangerous, but Mensik is the better player right now and this feels like a match where the gap in quality shows up eventually.
Prediction: Mensik in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Thiago Agustin Tirante
Head-to-head: First meeting
Popyrin is ranked well outside the top 100 at the moment and Tirante, despite being a clay specialist by reputation, has shown he can compete on hard courts too. Popyrin has the game to cause problems when he's on, but at ranking 139 he's clearly not in great form right now and Tirante should have enough to get through here, all things considered.
Prediction: Tirante in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Yannick Legare/ZUMA Press Wire