Canadian Open 2023: Men's singles draw analysis, preview and prediction ft. potential SF between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
The 2023 Canadian Open will see some of the best players in the world battle it out for the title. The likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not feature for the third successive year, but there is a lot to watch out for in Toronto. Players like Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev are all title contenders, as are Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Holger Rune.
With some exciting tennis action awaiting us in Toronto, let's take a look at how the draw for this year's Canadian Open could unfold.
First Quarter: Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune could lock horns in the quarterfinals
Seeded Players: (1) Carlos Alcaraz, (5) Holger Rune, (12), Tommy Paul, (15) Hubert Hurkacz
Expected quarterfinal: Carlos Alcaraz vs Holger Rune
Dark Horse: Francisco Cerundolo
Analysis: Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will be a heavy favorite to win the Canadian Open and will face either Ben Shelton or Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round. The Spaniard should be able to reach the third round without much trouble. Here, Alcaraz will most likely face 15th seed Hubert Hurkacz. He should manage to get the better of the Pole and reach the quarterfinals.
The other side of this quarter has the likes of fifth seed Holger Rune and 12th seed Tommy Paul. It will most likely come down to these two to determine who will reach the quarterfinals. Rune has looked in pretty good form lately and should be able to edge out the American.
Quarterfinal Predictiction: Carlos Alcaraz def. Holger Rune
Second Quarter: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime & Borna Coric make for interesting draw
Seeded Players: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (7) Jannik Sinner, (10) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (14) Borna Coric
Expected Quarterfinal: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jannik Sinner
Dark Horse: Andy Murray
Analysis: Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is in this quarter and will start off against either Gael Monfils or Christopher Eubanks, both of whom are tough opponents. The Greek should, however, be expected to get the better of either and reach the third round, where his potential opponents include 14th seed Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Sebastian Korda. He will most likely be able to make it through to the quarterfinals.
The other half of this quarter has seventh seed Jannik Sinner, who is always a force to be reckoned with. The Italian could face his compatriot Matteo Berrettini in the second round, and that fixture is expected to be a close one.
Andy Murray has a pretty good chance of making it to the third round of the Canadian Open as his potential second-round opponent is Felix Auger-Aliassime, who hasn't been in the best of form. But while the Scot could reach the Round of 16, defeating Sinner would be a daunting task. The Italian should be able to come out on top and reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open.
Quarterfinal Prediction: Jannik Sinner def. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Third Quarter: Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev all in contention for QF spots
Seeded Players: (3) Casper Ruud, (6) Andrey Rublev, (9) Frances Tiafoe, (13) Alexander Zverev
Expected Quarterfinal: Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev
Dark Horse: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Analysis: This is arguably the most interesting quarter of the Canadian Open, as a number of players are capable of reaching the quarterfinals.
Sixth seed Andrey Rublev will have high hopes entering the Masters 1000 event, and he should make it to the third round without much trouble. Here, he will most probably face ninth seed Frances Tiafoe.
While that matchup will likely be an intense and tightly-contested one, the Russian should just about manage to come out on top and reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open.
The other side of this quarter has third seed Casper Ruud and 13th seed Alexander Zverev, and it could eventually boil down to the two of them for the second quarterfinal spot. While Zverev will be in high spirits, Ruud's calmness might be enough to see him through to the last eight of the Canadian Open
Quarterfinal Prediction: Andrey Rublev def. Casper Ruud
Fourth Quarter: Daniil Medvedev aiming to win his third Masters 1000 title of 2023
Seeded Players: (2) Daniil Medvedev, (8) Taylor Fritz, (11) Cameron Norrie, (16) Lorenzo Musetti
Expected Quarterfinal: Daniil Medvedev vs Taylor Fritz
Dark Horse: Alex de Minaur
Analysis: Second seed Daniil Medvedev will be among the favorites to win the Canadian Open, and he should face little difficulty reaching the third round considering his performances on hardcourts this season. The Russian will most probably take on 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 16, and should be expected to come out on top.
The other half of the quarter has eighth seed Taylor Fritz, who will most probably face 11th seed Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16. That said, the likes of Alex de Minaur and Dan Evans always pose a threat.
Fritz vs Norrie would be a very exciting matchup. While Norrie's counterpunching skills and persistence would be tough for Fritz to cope with, the American might just manage to get the win and reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open.
Quarterfinal prediction: Daniil Medvedev def. Taylor Fritz
Semifinal Predictions
Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner
Andrey Rublev def. Daniil Medvedev
Final Prediction
Carlos Alcaraz def. Andrey Rublev