A super busy Wednesday in Canada features eight of the world’s top 10 women, as well as seven of the world’s top 10 men.
Wednesday’s WTA play in Montreal is headlined by new Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova against Caroline Wozniacki, just a day after Wozniacki came out of retirement and was victorious in her return to the tour. Plus World No.1 Iga Swiatek plays two-time Major runner-up Karolina Pliskova. And other action in Montreal includes Aryna Sabalenka, Petra Kvitova, and Coco Gauff.
The highest profile ATP match of the day in Toronto sees Stefanos Tsitsipas take on Gael Monfils. In addition, reigning Wimbledon and US Open champ Carlos Alcaraz plays fellow 20-year-old Ben Shelton in what will undoubtedly be the first of many meetings. And Daniil Medvedev, Andy Murray, and Jannik Sinner will also play their second round matches, with Sinner facing fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent match in both Montreal and Toronto, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule in each city. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time in both cities.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. Gael Monfils (PR) – Second on Center Court in Toronto
Tsitsipas is 37-13 this year, and just a few days ago in Los Cabos, won his first title in over a year. He also just named Mark Philippoussis as his new head coach, replacing his father in what often seemed like a contentious coaching relationship. Five years ago, this tournament was a coming out party of sorts for Stefanos, as he made a name for himself by beating four top 10 players (Thiem, Djokovic, Zverev, Anderson).
Monfils didn’t play for seven months after retiring from this tournament a year ago with a knee injury, and upon returning this season, lost 9 of his first 11 matches at all levels. But the 36-year-old seems to be recovering some of his form. Gael claimed two matches last week in Washington, and on Monday in Toronto, took out recent Wimbledon quarterfinalist Christopher Eubanks.
The Greek is 2-1 against the Frenchman, with all three meetings on hard courts. Though they haven’t played in four-and-a-half years, Tsitsipas is a considerable favorite to prevail on Wednesday. And with Philippoussis as the main voice in his camp, I’m curious to see what Stefanos can accomplish in Toronto, Cincinnati, and New York.
Marketa Vondrousova (9) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (WC) – Not Before 4:30pm on Court Rogers in Monreal
Vondrousova’s road to her first Major title at Wimbledon was not easy. She eliminated five seeded players, including two ranked inside the top six (Pegula, Jebeur). Marketa is now 32-10 this season, and is on an eight-match winning streak after defeating Mayar Sherif in straight sets on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, Wozniacki made a successful return to the sport, comfortably beating qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2. But is she ready to challenge a top 10 player, and the most recent Major winner?
In their first career meeting, Vondrousova is a clear favorite on paper. But it would only be normal for Marketa to have a letdown in form after surprising the tennis world by becoming a Slam champ. And as Wozniacki showed on Tuesday, her consistent groundstrokes are still there, despite her three-and-a-half year layoff. I actually like Caroline’s chances to pull off the upset on Wednesday.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Karolina Pliskova – Swiatek is 44-7 in 2023, and an astounding 114-16 since the start of 2022. Pliskova has struggled to stay healthy the last few years, and is just 20-14 this season. Iga leads their head-to-head 2-0, with both matches taking place on clay.
Matteo Arnaldi (Q) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Medvedev is 46-9 this year, with five titles. Arnaldi is a 22-year-old Italian who has won 39 matches this season at all levels. Six months ago in Dubai on a hard court, Daniil defeated Matteo 6-4, 6-2.
Danielle Collins (Q) vs. Maria Sakkari (8) – On Tuesday, Collins crushed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2. Sakkari was the runner-up last week in Washington, losing in straight sets to Coco Gauff. Maria is 2-0 against Danielle, though both matches have gone three sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Jannik Sinner (7) – Sinner is 37-11 on the year, and is coming off his first Major semifinal at Wimbledon. It’s been a rough season of tough losses and injuries for Berrettini, but he rediscovered his form at The Championships, taking out two top 20 seeds (de Minaur, Zverev). This is a first-time encounter.
Max Purcell (Q) vs. Andy Murray – Murray ousted Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets on Tuesday, while Purcell upset a less-than-100% Felix Auger-Aliassime. Last summer on grass in Newport, Andy beat Max in three sets.
Petra Martic vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is 40-8 this season, but added a few more heartbreaking semifinal losses at Majors to her resume in both Paris and London. She’s split two meetings with Martic, which both occurred on hard courts in 2019.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Ben Shelton – Alcaraz is now an excellent 47-4 on the year, and this is his first ATP match since upsetting Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Shelton made waves by achieving his first Slam quarterfinal this past January in Melbourne, but is a dismal 6-16 ever since.
Petra Kvitova (7) vs. Camila Giorgi – Kvitova has claimed two titles this season, and she won this event back in 2012. Giorgi took out Canada’s Bianca Andreescu in straight sets on Tuesday evening, and won this event in 2021. They are 2-2 lifetime, with Camila beating Petra in straight sets two years ago in this same city.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play for the WTA is here, and the ATP is here.
