Canadian Open 2024 Draw: Jannik Sinner's projected path to final ft. potential SF clash vs Daniil Medvedev
World No.1 Jannik Sinner will return to action on the ATP Tour as he enters the 2024 Canadian Open as the top seed. Sinner is the defending champion at the Masters 1000 tournament, having won the title last year after beating Alex de Minaur.
The 22-year-old Italian had been out of action for weeks, as he withdrew from the Olympics at the last moment, citing illness. The newly crowned World No.1 was last seen on the court at Wimbledon, where he lost against Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. However, at the Canadian Open, he received a bye in the first round, owing to his top seeding.
Let's go through the potential path that Sinner might have to go through to reach the final and defend his title in Canada.
Jannik Sinner's likely 2R opponent- Pedro Martinez
The likely opponent for Jannik Sinner in the second round of the 2024 Canadian Open would be Pedro Martinez. The Spaniard was at the Paris Olympics, losing to Andrea Vavassori in the first round. Overall, Martinez has had a mediocre season in 2024, with a record of 15-13.
The Spaniard's success has mostly come on clay in 2024, having reached the final of the Estoril Open, the semifinals of the Hamburg European Open, and the quarterfinals of the Austrian Open. However, Martinez's performance on hard courts has not been encouraging, as he has failed to make any sort of deep runs on events that have taken place on the surface so far this year.
Sinner and Martinez have faced off against each other only once in their careers, with the Italian winning the encounter at the 2022 Italian Open.
Jannik Sinner's likely 3R opponent- Frances Tiafoe
Sinner will likely play home favorite Frances Tiafoe in the third round of the 2024 Canadian Open. Tiafoe has been playing good tennis recently, as he reached the semi-final of the Citi Open, losing against Sebastian Korda. However, overall the American has had a mediocre season in 2024, reflected in his 19-17 record.
Tiafoe's best result came at the Houston Open, where he reached the final, losing against compatriot Ben Shelton. Even though he lost in the third round of the Wimbledon, Tiafoe managed to take the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to five sets and played an extremely competitive match.
Sinner has a 3-1 record against Tiafoe, with the World No. 1 winning the last match at last year's Vienna Open.
Jannik Sinner's likely QF opponent- Tommy Paul
Sinner is likely to face another American opponent Tommy Paul in the quarter-final of the Canadian Open. Paul has been in good form, as he reached the quarter-final of the Paris Olympics, losing to Carlos Alcaraz. However, he won the bronze medal in doubles and partnered up with Taylor Fritz.
Paul has shown some good form in 2024. The American player has won two titles in the season, the Dallas Open, (beating Marcos Giron in the final), and the Queen's Club Championships, (beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final). Apart from these victories, Paul also reached the semi-final of the BNP Paribas Open and the quarter-final of Wimbledon.
Sinner has a 2-1 head-to-head against Paul. The Italian won the last match at last year's Canadian Open semi-final.
Jannik Sinner's likely SF opponent- Daniil Medvedev
Third seed Daniil Medvedev will be the potential opponent for Sinner in the semi-final of the Canadian Open. These two players have already met in one big final this year, with Sinner winning the Australian Open. Medvedev was last seen in action at the Olympics, where he reached the round of 16, losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Overall Medvedev has had a good season in 2024 so far, with a 35-11 record. However, the Russian has not won a single title despite making two finals, and multiple semi-finals this season. The World No. 5 reached the finals of the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open, and the semi-finals of the Dubai Open, Miami Open, and Wimbledon.
Medvedev has a 7-5 lead in the head-to-head against Sinner, having won their last match at the Wimbledon quarter-final in five sets.
Jannik Sinner's likely Final opponent- Alexander Zverev
Second seed Alexander Zverev will be the likely opponent for Jannik Sinner in the final of the Canadian Open. Zverev has been playing at the Paris Olympics, where he was the defending gold medalist, but lost against Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-final.
Overall Zverev has a 47-14 record in 2024, with a title at the Italian Open. Apart from that, the German has given a good account of himself on the clay, reaching the final of the French Open and the Hamburg Open. On the hard courts, Zverev's best performances have included reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open and the Miami Open.
Jannik Sinner trails 1-4 against Alexander Zverev in their head-to-head, with the German winning their last match at last year's US Open.