ATP Masters in Toronto, quarter-finals, Saturday, 12.08.2023
Quarterfinals! At the Canada Masters, which takes place this year at Toronto, the best eight players now gather. In a special duel, a veteran and one of the young guard will meet on Saturday night.
There are far more than 200 places between the two in the world rankings, the advantage in the Bet3000 odds is much smaller. In my Monfils Sinner tip, I will now reveal why I believe the oldie will win at least one set!
What kind of tournament is Gael Monfils playing? After having to retire stricken before the 2nd round against Holger Rune at the French Open, he took a break and returned to hard court in the USA.
In Atlanta and Washington he managed a total of two victories, so the playing revelation was rather not to be seen here. The current 276 in the world knows that he can only keep up with the tennis elite on good days.
The opening match against Christopher Eubanks was really close, but Monfils prevailed with a narrow 7-6, 6-7, 6-1. A few days later, the Frenchman achieved a small masterpiece. His opponent: Stefanos Tsitsipas!
Against the man who had won the Los Carbos tournament only a short time before, Monfils won 6-4, 6-3, a brilliant performance. No break allowed, 82% won points on first serve, and that against one of the world’s best!
Monfils also kept his nerve in the last 16 when he sent Aleksandar Vukic home with a 6-4, 6-4 win. The two scores just mentioned were almost identical, against Eubanks the 36-year-old allowed only one break.
How much further can he go with this form? He has reached the semi-finals twice at the Canada Masters in 2016 and 2019, so this would be the third time he could advance to that round on Saturday.
In 2019 and 2021 he already met Jannik Sinner, both twice by the way, and in the direct comparison the score is 1:3 from his point of view. Our betting providers obviously know that, too, because they see Sinner a good deal ahead.
The average odds are 1.30 to 3.40, but considering the world rankings, that’s not surprising. Strictly speaking, we don’t know what Sinner is actually capable of achieving at this Masters.
While Monfils already has three matches under his belt, the South Tyrolean has only played once! After his sovereign 6-4, 6-3 against Matteo Berrettini, the duel against Andy Murray was supposed to take place.
But the Scottish-born player withdrew, sending Sinner one round further without a fight. It is already his best performance on Canadian soil, but now of course he is expected to go all the way.
The 21-year-old can play hard court, has already reached a few finals in 2023 and has already bagged a title. At first glance, Gael Monfils seems to be an absolutely feasible opponent, but at the same time, in his current form, he should be a real threat for everyone!
My Monfils Sinner Tip
What Gael Monfils is doing in Toronto these days cannot be overstated by us at this point. Especially his smooth success against Stefanos Tsitsipas was impressive, nobody can get past him when it comes to his own serve.
Jannik Sinner may be a little fitter at this Masters thanks to less playing time, but that doesn’t always have to be an advantage. Therefore, I can’t imagine Monfils being easily outplayed and therefore opt for the following bet:
Monfils wins at least one set against Sinner!
