Montreal Masters: 3rd Round

It was a horror day for the seeds with Raonic, Goffin, Nishikori, Tsonga and Carreno-Busta along with Del Potro all knocked out. There were two standout performances and they came from very familiar names – Federer and Nadal. The veterans were dominant! It was also a day of comebacks as Monfils and Alexander Zverev saved 7 match points between them to progress. Denis Shapovalov with now shoulder the home crowd as the sole Canadian left and they will have to be in full voice if he is to challenge Nadal. The match of the day see Zverev and Kyrgios clash in what promises to be a beauty. The Wolf breaks down all thew action.

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David Ferrer v Roger Federer

It is one thing to have a dominant record against an opponent and it is another thing altogether to be 16-0. That is Federer’s record against Ferrer. Surprisingly the pair haven;t met since 2014 and if there is one thing we know it is that the Spaniard has been on a significant decline since while Federer has made the most remarkable resurgence. Ferrer has been in two epic battles already this week against Sock and Edmund which will have taken some physical toll. It is not often we see 71 combined years of age on the court but we may have to get used to it if the age of the top players is anything to go by. It is hard to look past what Federer did against Polansky and a tired Ferrer will have nothing left in the tank. Sock and Edmund broke Ferrer’s serve 4 times each leaving him very vulnerable in this match. The Swiss master to roll him.

Best Bet: Federer -5.5 ($1.85)

Alexander Zverev v Nick Kyrgios

This will be the third meeting this season between the pair but despite Zverev winning 4 titles and climbing into the top 10 it is Kyrgios who has won both encounters. It has been the Kyrgios serve which has done the damage and the Aussie has not faces a single break point in the 5 sets they have contested. After a forgettable month Kyrgios has found his feet in Canada – or so it seems. He crushed Troicki and Lorezi in the opening rounds and in doing so has won over 90% of his first serve points. That is just ridiculous says Wolfy. One thing that Zverev has over Kyrgios though is the fact that he is battle hardened. He has played in more big matches than the Aussie and his confidence continues to grow. It is hard to see either man winning enough points returning serve making the Overs a great bet!

Best: Over 22.5 games ($1.80)

Rafael Nadal v Denis Shapovalov

Nadal was supposed to have some trouble against Coric who had beaten him twice before but he certainly didn’t get the memo. Clearly there was some additional motivation… To begin with the number 1 ranking is on the line and he can claim it with a title winning run and then there was Federer’s flawless performance earlier in the day. The pair have clearly wound the clock back and it will take something special from another player to prevent them from meeting in the final. The Wolf doesn’t think Shapovalov has anything left in the tank. He saved match points against Dutra Silva and was outstanding against Del Potro. Does he have another gear to go to against Rafa… No! Nadal eats fellow left handers for breakfast and is the king of exposing single handed backhands. This is a bad matchup for him.

Best Bet: Under 20.5 games ($1.73)