Giraldo S. - Haase R.

Montreal ATP tournament.

The strange and unstable Serbian player Kecmanovic, after a tough season on grass, is once again struggling on clay and arrives in Canada not only out of form, but also lacking practice on hard courts. The Serbian, who prefers slower surfaces, has difficulties with faster courts, which is exactly what Montreal offers. He has not had much success in this tournament, having been eliminated in the first stages by Borges in 2024 and losing to Van De Zandschulp in the first match in 2022, so there is not much hope for a good performance from him in this tournament. His opponent, Zheng, may not have a high ranking (only 118), but his skill cannot be overlooked. He has successfully qualified for all Grand Slam tournaments this season and has had a strong showing on hard courts, making him the clear favorite in this match. Even though Kecmanovic has a negative record this season (18-20 overall and 8-10 on hard courts), he seems like a favorable opponent for the American player, who is having a great season (20-11 overall and 12-6 on hard courts). Zheng has already breezed through the Montreal qualifying rounds, defeating the legendary Japanese player K. Nishikori. Many sports portals are emphasizing the importance of experience in this match, but Kecmanovic's struggles on this type of surface and his poor form make Zheng the clear better option in all aspects for this tournament.

Some additional information is that Zheng has also played on the ATP tour, facing off against NCAA players (meaning collegiate tennis), which is why his ranking may be low.

Montreal

Like in the qualifiers, we continue to advance in the main stage together with Vukic, who looks great at this season stage. Vukic started July by winning a challenger tournament in Canada, and then had strong performances at the Washington tournament, and now having qualified is ready to continue his journey in Peru. The Australian has been in better form throughout the entire season, regained his self-confidence, which is a very important aspect for this tennis player. The opponent is familiar and was already defeated by Japan last year on a hard court. German Altmaier, who hasn't won a single match on a hard court this season (0:6), somehow seems like a decent opponent compared to Vukic's current form. After a poor start on clay, the German has recovered a bit, but is in poor form and it will be very difficult for him to play successfully. In tennis, a lot of things can happen and it's always difficult to expect stability, but this match seems very favorable for Vukic, who must win.