Morning Cup Preview: 5 matches to watch on Day 5 of the National Bank Open

By Max Gao

As play begins to wind down at the Sobeys Stadium, the last eight singles players and doubles teams will compete for a coveted spot in the semi-finals of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Friday.

Medvedev [1] vs. HURKACZ [7]

After a dominant win over Australian qualifier James Duckworth last night, No. 1 seed Daniil Medvedev will face an extremely tough test in No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili to end the day on Stadium Court. In the pair’s only previous meeting, Hurkacz came from two sets down to upset Medvedev at Wimbledon on his way to his first Grand Slam semi-final.

Tsitsipas [3] vs. Ruud [6]

2018 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrated his birthday yesterday with an impressive victory over recent Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov, but he might not like his present: a meeting with the red-hot Casper Ruud, who enters Friday’s encounter on a 13-match winning streak. The two former junior rivals have met once before on the ATP Tour, with Ruud winning that meeting earlier this year in Madrid.

Bautista Agut [10] vs. Opelka

After ending yesterday’s day session with a marathon win over No. 8 seed Diego Schwartzman, No. 10 seed Roberto Bautista Agut will face an even taller order in his third National Bank Open quarter-final when he encounters the in-form Reilly Opelka. Bautista Agut has won two of his three matches against the big-serving American, including their most recent meeting earlier this year in Doha.

Monfils [11] vs. Isner

Two-time former semi-finalist and No. 11 seed Gael Monfils, who dazzled the crowd with a thrilling, late-night victory on Wednesday night, will face a familiar foe in big-serving American John Isner. Monfils leads the head-to-head 7-5, but Isner won their last meeting in Beijing two years ago.

Mektic/Pavic [1] vs. Middelkoop/Saville

In the doubles draw, top seeds and reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will be looking to extend their win streak to 17 matches when they take on Matwe Middelkoop and Luke Saville.