Montreal Masters: 1st Round (Tue)

Day 1 was one to forget as Johnson, Young and Edmund all lost in tough 3 setters. Pouille was the first casualty while Kyrgios steamrolled his way past Troicki – so much for carrying an injury last week…

First round actions continues tonight and The Wolf says to keep an eye on Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov. He has been making plenty of noise at Challenger level and is a real throwback. A lefty with a single handed backhand and a real attitude. Earlier this year he was disqualified for hitting an umpire with the ball. Finally Wolfy says to keen an eye on a couple of qualifiers who are capable of troubling their respective opponents.

Feature Previews

David Goffin v Yuichi SugitaThey have played once before and it was a very long time ago at Challenger level. Goffin crushed him on that occasion but Sugita brings winning form with him to Montreal. He claimed his first ATP title in Antalya, beating Mannarino in the final which added to his 3 Challenger Tour titles in 2017. It’s been a up and down season for Goffin who has recently lost to Haase and Dodig. The Wolf can sense an upset.
Best Bet: Sugita +2.5 ($2.60)

Kevin Anderson v Dudi SelaThe big serving South African has come into his own in recent months. He made the 4th round at both the French Open and Wimbledon and last week made it all the way to the final in Washington last week. He had no answer for Zverev in the final and he will not be bringing the Washington heat with him to Montreal. Temperatures were well into the 30’s last week and will be close to 10 degrees less when he takes the court against Sela. The courts at the Rogers Cup are some of the slower hard courts on tour and we have seen multiple big servers rolled already (Isner and Opelka). Sela has beaten Anderson in the past and we saw him take down Isner at Wimbledon a month ago but his ability to hold serve is suspect! He has been broken at least 3 times in each of his last 4 matches and against  much weaker opponents. Anderson could cover the line with just a single break!
Best: Anderson -3.5 ($1.85)

Jack Sock v Pierre-Hugues HerbertThis is the time of the year when Jack Sock shines. He loves the American hard courts and they suit his game to a tee. He had a good win over Raonic last week but his form has been inconsistent with losses to Vesely, Ofner and Edmund. The Wolf is concerned about his ability to break serve and says opponents are consistently able to target his backhand in order to draw errors or mid court balls. Herbert has good court craft and like to move forward which will prevent Sock from taking control of the rallies. He will put the Sock backhand under pressure and The Wolf can see this one going much longer than expected.
Best Bet: Over 22.5 games ($1.91)