The round of thirty-two at the 2023 National Bank Open is complete, and it was a mixed round for the top players.
The top two seeds, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev made good starts against Ben Shelton and Matteo Arnaldi, respectively.
However, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev all fell in their opening matches, with Gael Monfils taking out the fourth-seeded Greek in his 350th hard-court match and one of his best performances in the last year or so after struggling with injuries.
It was also a strong round for the American contingent, with Fritz, Paul, McDonald and Giron all making the last sixteen.
You can see the complete list of results below.
Round of 32 Canadian Open 2023 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Ben Shelton
6-3 7-6(3)
Daniil Medvedev (2)
Matteo Arnaldi (Q)
6-2 7-5
Casper Ruud (3)
Jiri Lehecka
7-6(6) 6-4
Gael Monfils (PR)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4)
6-4 6-3
Marcos Giron (Q)
Holger Rune (5)
6-2 4-6 6-3
Mackenzie McDonald
Andrey Rublev (6)
6-4 6-3
Jannik Sinner (7)
Matteo Berrettini
6-4 6-3
Taylor Fritz (8)
Ugo Humbert
7-6(7) 3-6 6-3
Tommy Paul (12)
Francisco Cerundolo
7-6(2) 6-7(2) 6-3
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Alexander Zverev (13
6-1 6-2
Hubert Hurkacz (15)
Miomir Kecmanovic
5-7 6-3 6-0
Lorenzo Musetti (16)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (Q)
4-6 7-5 6-4
Alex de Minaur
Gabriel Diallo (WC)
6-4 7-5
Andy Murray
Max Purcell (Q)
7-6(2) 3-6 7-5
Milos Raonic (WC)
Taro Daniel (Q)
6-4 6-3
Aleksandar Vukic (LL)
Sebastian Korda
6-3 4-6 7-6(5)
Monfils Magic Routs Tsitsipas
Gael Monfils put in a high-quality performance to take out the Los Cabos champion Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
The injury-riddled Frenchman has played just 11 matches this season, but he looked more au fait with conditions in Toronto and showed at 36 he’s still got wheels as he soaked up the Tsitsipas forehand with excellent defence and then hit back with power of his own.
Monfils will play lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic in the last sixteen after the Aussie took out Seb Korda to back up his victory over Borna Coric.
I knew that Stef had a lot of confidence. He would try to go for his shots. I tried to put a lot of balls in, tried to hit quite heavy and not let him dictate too much. I think I did it well. It’s always the same. Stay very calm in the head and go for a simple choice. Maybe I was too simple on the first match point [today] because I could maybe have unleashed one forehand more, but he did it before me. Honestly, I just tried to be cool and do what I did during the match. No panic, in a way. Monfils on his win over Tsitsipas.
Alcaraz Sees Off Shelton
A 13th straight victory for Alcaraz, but it wasn’t all plain sailing as Shelton made both sets highly competitive before Alcaraz came through 6-3, 7-6(3).
The American was the talk of the town at the back end of last year but dropped off the radar this spring, with clay and grass utterly alien to him.
However, now we’re back on hardcourts where his game can flourish, his aggressive lefty gameplan gave Alcaraz plenty to think about, with just a single break of serve separating the two throughout two sets.
I tried to play my level but it wasn’t easy. He was more aggressive than me from the beginning to the last ball. I tried to be solid and to get my rhythm and I’m really happy to be through to have an opportunity in the next round. This match will help me to be more focussed in the next round, to put my game first in the beginning of the match. Alcaraz on his tight match vs Shelton.
Other Matches of Note
Giron Stuns Rune: The biggest of Giron’s career, who’s very solid on hardcourts. Rune was not at the races, hitting 50 unforced errors.
McDonald Routs Rublev: More American college success alongside Giron, as the sweet ball striking McDonald comfortably saw off Rublev 6-4 6-3.
Sinner Sinks Berrettini: The 7th seed came out on top in the all-Italian clash and will face Andy Murray in the next round.
Davidovich Fokina Downs Zverev: The Spaniard has made an impressive start to his Toronto campaign and didn’t face a break point en route to a 6-1, 6-2 against thirteenth-seeded Zverev.
Rogers Cup Round of 16 Matches
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Hubert Hurkacz (15)
Tommy Paul (12) vs Marcos Giron (Q)
Gael Monfils (PR) vs Alexander Vukic (LL)
Andy Murray vs Jannik Sinner (7)
Mackenzie McDonald vs Milos Raonic (WC)
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Casper Ruud (3)
Taylor Fritz (8) vs Alex de Minaur
Lorenzo Musetti (16) vs Daniil Medvedev (2)
Who are your picks to make the 2023 National Bank Open quarter finals? Let me know in the comments.