Due to rain on Thursday in Montreal, some ATP players are scheduled to play twice on Friday, though a look at the forecast reveals Friday could become a complete rainout in Montreal. Third round WTA singles action is scheduled for Friday in Toronto, in a city with much less rain in the forecast.
In the absence of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff is the top seed in Toronto. But with 3,000 points to defend within the next month, due to her title runs last summer in Cincinnati and New York, Gauff could fall out of the top four without a strong result between now and the US Open, which applies a lot of pressure to a player who hasn’t reached a final since the first week of 2024. And on Friday, she’ll also be pressured by her opponent, Diana Shnaider, who has won three WTA titles this season.
Other third round matches in Toronto are headlined by defending champion Jessica Pegula and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.
If rain allows for play in Montreal, players such as Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz are scheduled to complete both their second and third round matches on Friday. Plus, 2017 champion Alexander Zverev faces Holger Rune in a rematch of a French Open five-setter from earlier this year. And the defending champion on the men’s side, Jannik Sinner, takes on an in-form Alejandro Tabilo.
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. Friday’s play is scheduled to begin at 11:00am in Toronto, and at 12:00pm in Montreal.
Coco Gauff (1) vs. Diana Shnaider (14) – Third on Centre Court in Toronto
Gauff is now 38-12 on the year, but dating back to the Australian Open in January, she is 0-5 in semifinals. And Coco is coming off disappointing results at both Wimbledon and the Olympics, with the American failing to win a medal in any of the three disciplines she played in Paris. Gauff has reached the quarterfinals in all three of her previous appearances in Canada, though she is yet to advance farther.
Shnaider started off 2024 as a relative unknown in the tennis world, ranked 97th in the world and having never appeared in a WTA 1000 event. But the 20-year-old has now reached five finals this year at all levels, winning three WTA titles, with each coming on a different surface. And thanks to 39 match wins at all levels, Diana is now on the verge of making her top 20 debut. She even won a silver medal in women’s doubles last week in Paris, alongside Mirra Andreeva.
This is their first career meeting, as Shnaider vies for the first top 10 win of her career. Diana is an aggressive left-hander with a dangerous forehand. However, as per Tennis Abstract, Coco doesn’t sweat lefties, as she’s claimed her last 11 matches against left-handed players. So while this matchup still has the potential to see an upset occur, Gauff must still be favored.
Holger Rune (13) vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Not Before 7:00pm on Court Central in Montreal
Zverev’s 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jordan Thompson on Thursday was his 48th of the season, which leads the ATP. But his two trips to Paris within the last few months have served up some extreme disappointment. At the French Open, he was just one set away from winning his first Major title for the second time in his career, yet he again failed to close the match out. And when defending his Olympic gold medal at the Olympics, he was upset in the quarterfinals by Lorenzo Musetti. Sascha is only 11-4 lifetime in Canada, as this is just his second appearance since 2019.
Rune is now 29-15 in 2024, which is frankly a rather modest record for a 21-year-old player who has lumped himself in with Alcaraz and Sinner as the future of this sport. Certainly some instability in his coaching team hasn’t helped, and he’s yet to advance beyond the fourth round of a Major this year, or beyond the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 event. His first and second round victories this week were the first of his career in Canada, where he was previously 0-2.
They have split two prior meetings, both on clay. Just two months ago in the fourth round of the French Open, Rune was up two-sets-to-one on Zverev, but after Sascha took the fourth set in a tiebreak, the German pulled away in the fifth by a score of 6-2. With Holger unable to build any considerable momentum this season, he is the underdog against the ATP’s winningest player.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Jessica Pegula on Wednesday night (twitter.com/NBOtoronto)
Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Ashlyn Krueger (Q) – Pegula defeated Karolina Pliskova in her opening match. Krueger is a 20-year-old American qualifier who upset Leylah Fernandez on Thursday. Jess is 2-0 against Ashlyn, having recently thumped her at Wimbledon by a score of 6-2, 6-0.
Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Alejandro Tabilo (15) – Sinner comfortably beat Borna Coric in his opening round on Thursday. Tabilo has already eliminated both Frances Tiafoe and Lorenzo Sonego, and is 28-15 on the year, with two titles. This is another first-time encounter.
Katie Boulter vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka dropped just four games on Thursday, while Boulter only played two games before her opponent, Beatriz Haddad Maia, retired due to injury. Aryna leads their head-to-head 3-0, with their most memorable matchup being a tight three-setter three years ago at Wimbledon.
Friday’s full Order of Play for the ATP is here, and for the WTA is here.
