Alcaraz, Medvedev headline Toronto Masters draw as top seeds

The first of two Masters 1000 events in a row takes place this coming week in Toronto as the American hard-court summer swing heats up. Canada’s annual National Bank Open alternates between Toronto and Montreal, but what never changes is the quality of the field.

Rafael Nadal may be out for the year and Novak Djokovic withdrew from Toronto a couple of weeks ago, but almost everyone else is playing.

No matter that there will be no rematch of the Wimbledon final between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz (won by Alcaraz in five sets); intriguing matchups from start to finish are surely in the cards for Toronto. The top-ranked Spaniard, himself, could face Ben Shelton, Hubert Hurkacz, and Holger Rune before the semifinals. In the semis Alcaraz could run into either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Jannik Sinner.

Will Tsitsipas vs. Sinner be one of the quarterfinal contests? Maybe not. Sinner will likely meet Matteo Berrettini in round two and Andy Murray in the last 16, while Tsitsipas’ opening match will come against either Chris Eubanks or Gael Monfils.

In the bottom half of the draw, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz could collide in the quarters. Medvedev advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals last month, while Fritz’s U.S. Open Series already features a title in Atlanta and a current semifinal showing in Washington, D.C.

First-round matches to watch in Toronto are Hurkacz vs. Alexander Bublik, Eubanks vs. Monfils, Murray vs. Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Zverev vs. Tallon Griekspoor, and Cameron Norrie vs. Alex de Minaur.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.