Canadian Open 2024 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Ugo Humbert vs Arthur Fils, Marcos Giron vs James Duckworth
Day 2 of the Canadian Open will see the remainder of the first round take place. Ben Shelton will face Alexander Bublik in what could be a match filled with aces, while local boys Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will take on Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli respectively.
Also in action, will be the likes of Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Gael Monfils. Ninth-seeded Fritz will take on Vasek Pospisil while tenth-seeded Paul will face Luciano Darderi.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions of some of the men's singles matches on Day 2 of Canadian Open 2024.
#1. Ugo Humbert vs Arthur Fils
12th seed Ugo Humbert will face World No. 23 Arthur Fils in the opening round of the Canadian Open. It will be the third ATP Tour meeting between the two, with the former winning both of their previous encounters.
Humbert and Fils both endured disappointing Olympic outings in Paris, with the former losing in the second round while the latter lost in the opening round. Both players have had pretty much similar 2024 seasons so far, with the 26-year-old winning 25 out of 41 matches so far, while the latter triumphed in 24 out of 42 fixtures.
Humbert has won 15 out of 20 matches so far on hard courts in 2024 while Fils has triumphed in eight ouf of 13 fixtures. The 26-year-old's relatively better form on the surface should see him get the win and make it to the second round of the Canadian Open.
Predicted Winner: Ugo Humbert.
#2. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Roman Safiullin
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will take on Roman Safiullin in the first round of the Canadian Open. The two will lock horns for the very first time.
Davidovich Fokina is entering the Masters 1000 event at the back of a second-round exit at the Citi Open while Safiullin competed at the Paris Olympics, where he reached the third round before losing to eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz.
Neither player has been particularly impressive so far in 2024, with the Spaniard winning 13 out of 28 matches so far while the Russian came out on top in just ten out of 27 fixtures. Davidovich Fokina did well to reach the semifinals in Canada last year and even though his form is not the same as that time, he should be able to beat Safiullin and reach the second round.
Predicted Wimmer: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
#3. Adrian Mannarino vs Arthur Rinderknech
Adrian Mannarino will be up against compatriot Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the Canadian Open on August 7. This will be their third meeting, with the former coming out on top in their two prior fixtures.
Mannarino last competed at the Citi Open, where he lost to Denis Shapovalov in the opening round. Rinderknech entered the qualifiers of the Canadian Open and reached the main draw after his opponent Christopher O'Connell retired.
Mannarino has endured a disastrous 2024 season so far, with just eight wins out of 28 matches so far while Rinderknech has clinched 13 out of 27 main-draw fixtures. While the former's form is anything but good, his experience might just about see him get the better of his compatriot and reach the second round of the Canadian Open.
Predicted Winner: Adrian Mannarino
#4. Marcos Giron vs James Duckworth
World No. 37 Marcos Giron will face James Duckworth in the first round of the Canadian Open. This will be their second encounter, with the American triumphing 7-6(5), 6-3 in their previous encounter, which came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 San Diego Open.
Giron suffered a first-round exit at the Olympics while Duckworth recently lost in the qualifiers of the Canadian Open but reached the main draw as a lucky loser.
The American has won 20 out of 38 matches so far in 2024 while the Aussie triumphed in eight out of 16 fixtures. Giron will enter the match as the favorite to win given his relatively better run of form and more experience on the ATP Tour this year, and he should be able to come out on top to reach the second round in Montreal.
Predicted Winner: Marcos Giron
#5. Borna Coric vs Pedro Martinez
World No. 94 Borna Coric will take on Pedro Martinez in the opening round of the Canadian Open on August 7. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Croat winning their previous encounter 6-4, 6-0 in the second round of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
Coric had to qualify for the main draw of the Canadian Open, doing so after beating Liam Draxl and Jakub Mensik. Martinez last appeared at the Paris Olympics, where he suffered an opening-round exit to Italy's Andrea Vavassori.
Coric has had a disappointing 2024 so far, with just eight wins so far out of 22 matches. Martinez, on the other hand, has won 15 out of 28 main-draw fixtures so far. Despite the Croat's poor run of form, he is capable of coming out on top if he is able to be close to his best, considering the Spaniard's lack of matches on hard courts so far in 2024.
Predicted Winner: Borna Coric