Tennis acca tips: Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek to dominate
- James Richardson
- 11 August 2023
Planet Sport looks at eight matches on the slate for Friday's action and pick the winners to help you put together your tennis accumulator.
Both the ATP and WTA Tour No 1s will be in action at the National Bank Open in Canada on Friday.
Alcaraz is out to avenge his loss to Tommy Paul in the same tournament last year while Iga Swiatek looks to extend her lead at the top of the women's rankings.
Here we look at eight matches on the slate for Friday's action and pick the winners to help you put together your tennis accumulator.
ATP Toronto:
Mackenzie McDonald vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Pick: Davidovich Fokina
ATP Toronto:
Alex De Minaur vs Daniil Medvedev | Pick: Medvedev
ATP Toronto:
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Tommy Paul | Pick: Alcaraz
ATP Toronto:
Gael Monfils vs Jannik Sinner | Pick: Sinner
WTA Montreal:
Liudmilla Samsonova vs Aryna Sabalenka | Pick: Sabalenka
WTA Montreal:
Jessica Pegula vs Coco Gauff | Pick: Gauff
WTA Montreal:
Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Rose Collins | Pick: Swiatek
WTA Montreal:
Daria Kasatkina vs Elena Rybakina | Pick: Rybakina
ATP Toronto: Mackenzie McDonald vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Mackenzie McDonald will reach a new career-high ranking next week thanks to his run to the quarter-finals.
McDonald has one prior meeting with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina which the Spaniard won in Stockholm in 2021.
Davidovich Fokina ousted top ten star Casper Ruud in the previous round and has to be favoured to move on in Toronto.
That said, McDonald is an experienced player who has turned out some great tennis this week.
ATP Toronto: Alex De Minaur vs Daniil Medvedev
Alex De Minaur has lost four of his five matches with Daniil Medvedev but did get the win the last time they met.
Medvedev should be the clear favourite here but De Minaur has played exceptionally well in recent weeks.
De Minaur has beaten one top 20 and another top 10 player on his way to the quarter-final.
However, Medvedev is a player with few equals when it comes to playing on a hard court.
ATP Toronto: Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Tommy Paul
Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul will battle each other in the quarter-final of the National Bank Open in what will be the third head-to-head battle.
Paul beat Alcaraz in Montreal last season but Alcaraz got that win back when they met in Miami earlier this season.
Alcaraz is the tournament favourite in Toronto having made his return to the ATP Tour after his Wimbledon triumph.
The Spaniard is set to stretch his advantage at the top of the ATP Rankings having outperformed his own efforts in 2022.
ATP Toronto: Gael Monfils vs Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner didn't have to hit the court to progress from his match against Andy Murray and will be well-rested when he faces Gael Monfils.
Monfils has found his best form in a long while during a great run in Toronto.
Sinner and Monfils have met in four prior matches with the former winning three of those clashes.
However, they have not met since October 2021 but they shared a memorable five set clash at the US Open that year that suggests this meeting could be a great match.
WTA Montreal: Liudmilla Samsonova vs Aryna Sabalenka
Liudmilla Samsonova will need to find a way to halt the charge of a near-unstoppable force in Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka was one of the stars of the earlier hard court swing and if she can recover her best game she will be a title contender in Montreal.
Samsonova won the first meeting between the players but it was Sabalenka who won their matchup in Adelaide earlier this term.
Samsonova made quick work of Qinwen Zheng but will need to be at her very best to earn another win over Sabalenka and a place in the last eight.
WTA Montreal: Jessica Pegula vs Coco Gauff
Doubles partners Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff face off in an all-American last eight clash.
Pegula and Gauff each own a straight sets win over the other as they have split their two head-to-head matches.
Neither player has dropped a set yet this week but Gauff was most impressive as she blew past Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Gauff has started her North American swing in great touch off the back of intensive coaching work and will take some stopping in Montreal.
WTA Montreal: Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Rose Collins
Danielle Collins has had to come through qualifying and a trio of tough main draw matches to reach this stage of the competition while Iga Swiatek has not had to sweat that much.
Collins knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open in 2022 but the Pole has won the other two clashes between the players.
Collins has not dropped a set since reaching the main draw this weekand could pose a genuine threat to Swiatek.
However, the world No 1 appears dialled in as she pursues a WTA 1000 title missing from her collection.
WTA Montreal: Daria Kasatkina vs Elena Rybakina
Daria Kasatkina poses a tough last eight test for Elena Rybakina with the Russian holding a 2-1 lead in the rivalrly against the 2022 Wimbledon champion.
Kasatkina spoiled Rybakina's return to the WTA Tour after Wimbledon last season and she also won the first clash between the players.
If Rybakina plays to her potential she should have the firepower to send Kasatkina crashing out.
All signs point towards Rybakina levelling up the head-to-head record with a win in Montreal
