Felix Auger-Aliassime has been handed a nightmare draw as he looks to mount an assault on the ATP Masters 1000 title in front of his adoring Canadian fans in Montreal.
With No 1 Jannik Sinner, No 3 Carlos Alcaraz and the great Novak Djokovic all opting to skip the event, Auger-Aliassime is the No 2 seed and one of the big favourites to take the title.
So he would have been hoping for a slight more favourable draw than he has been handed, with in-form American Brandon Nakashima, big-serving Arthur Rinderknech, former US Open champion Marin Cilic and American Frances Tiafoe all in Auger-Aliassime’s quarter of the draw
Top seed Alexander Zverev and starts as the clear favourite to lift the trophy after his impressive run of form in recent months saw him lift his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and then reach the Wimbledon final for the first time.
Zverev will face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego or Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands in his opening match and he could face America’s Taylor Fritz if the duo make it all the way through to the quarter-finals.
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One man who will be under real pressure in Montreal is Ben Shelton, who will be defending his title and also the 1,000 ATP Ranking points he collected from the biggest tournament win of his career last year.
Shelton could face fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the second round and there could be a popcorn match on the agenda as Brazil’s Joao Fonseca is also in his section of the draw.
The prospect of big names clashing in the closing stages will give tournament organisers hope that the absence of Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic can be covered up, but the absence of the ‘Big 3’ has sparked a debate over the schedule and whether top players should be compelled to play in Masters 1000 events.
“We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won’t be joining us in Montreal this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto,” said the Canadian Open’s tournament director Valerie Tetreault.
“We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players’ health must remain the priority.
“That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.
“Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world’s best compete.
“We are already in discussions with the ATP to ensure this matter receives serious consideration.”
Possible quarter-final line-up in Montreal:
Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Taylor Fritz (USA)
Daniil Medvedev vs Ben Shelton (USA)
Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
