French Open champion Ash Barty is also the current world No.1, and in Toronto today she’ll face a stern test in a 20-year-old American. Meanwhile, 39-year-old American Venus Williams takes to the court against another tour veteran in Carla Suarez Navarro. And another Slam champion, Vika Azarenka, will play Camila Giorgi, a finalist in Washington just two days ago.
Both the men’s side and the women’s draws will feature all-Canadian matchups which include two of tennis’ most impressive young stars. Also in Montreal, Washington champ Nick Kyrgios, just 48 hours after winning one of the biggest titles of his career, will take on the British No.1. And 2017 champion Sascha Zverev will attempt to get his season back on track against the British No.3.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Sofia Kenin
Barty is 3-0 against Kenin, including their most recent match in the round of 16 at Roland Garros. Sofia pushed the soon-to-be champion to three sets on that day, just a round after upsetting Serena Williams. It’s been a breakout year for Kenin, who has 40 wins over the last 52 weeks, and two titles since January. This will be Barty’s first match since losing her 15-match winning streak in the fourth round of Wimbledon, where she was upset by another American, Alison Riske. However, Ash does hold a six-match winning streak on North American hard courts, having won the title in Miami earlier this year. Barty already has 39 match wins in 2019, but is she due for a letdown? It feels like she is after all the tennis she’s played this year, and her spunky young opposition has shown us she’s capable of a big upset.
Nick Kyrgios vs. Kyle Edmund
Can Nick continue his great play from last week in DC? If history is any indication, it seems unlikely. After his stellar title run in Acapulco earlier this year, he lost in the opening round of Indian Wells. Overall, in the tournaments following his five previous career titles, he only possesses a total of eight match wins. Though he has won both previous matches against Edmund, both played on grass. And 2019 has been a tough year for Kyle as he’s battled a knee injury. If Kyrgios brings his level of play from last week onto the court today, he should comfortably advance. But Nick is anything but a reliable competitor, and he was visibly struggling with a right arm injury over the last few days. One thing that is for sure? When Kyrgios is involved, it won’t be boring.
Other notable matches on Tuesday:
Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Venus Williams. Venus owns a 7-3 career edge, but only has 14 wins this year, and arrives on a three-match losing streak.
It will be a 19-year-old Canadian phenom against a former Canadian teenage phenom: Indian Wells champion Bianca Andreescu vs. Genie Bouchard (WC).
And in the other all-Canadian battle, Felix Auger Aliassime vs. Vasek Pospisil (WC). These two played as a team in the doubles draw just yesterday.
Victoria Azarenka vs. Camila Giorgi. The Italian has taken both of their previous meetings.
Sascha Zverev (3) vs. Cameron Norrie. Since winning the 2018 ATP Finals, Zverev is yet to win a title.
In men’s doubles, it’s the 2017 Wimbledon champs against this year’s Queens Club champs: Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo (2) vs. Feliciano Lopez and Andy Murray (WC).
