After missing out in 2020, the Toronto Masters will be back this year and will see some of the biggest names on the ATP Tour competing at Toronto. Daniil Medvedev will go in as the top seed while Rafael Nadal is seeded second.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: Rogers Cup 2021
- Date: August 9-15, 2021
- Number of Entrants: 48 (Singles), 28 (Doubles)
- Venue: Toronto, Canada
- Surface: Hard Court
- Prize Money: $2,850,975
- Defending champion: Rafael Nadal
Top Seeds at the Rogers Cup 2021
- Daniil Medvedev
- Rafael Nadal
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Andrey Rublev
- Denis Shapovalov
Men’s Singles Draw Analysis and Prediction
Top Half
Daniil Medvedev will headline the top half of the draw and has received a first round bye alongwith the other 15 seeds. Medvedev will open his campaign against the winner of the first round blockbuster- wither Dan Evans or Alexander Bublik. Jannik Sinner, seeded 16th is expected to face Taylor Fritz in the second round with the winner expected to face Medvedev in the Round of 16.
12th seed Alex de Minaur will have a tricky second round match against either Jenson Brooksby or Nikoloz Basilashvili and is drawn in the same bracket as 7th seed Hubert Hurkacz and Kei Nishikori. The winner of the bracket will most probably face Medvedev in the quarterfinal.
The bottom quarter will feature 4th seed Andrey Rublev who will face either Jan-Lennard Struff or Fabio Fognini. 13th seed Cristian Garin, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and John Isner are also in the same quarter. Local hopes Denis Shapovalov is also in the upper half and is drawn with Frenchman Gael Monfils, Sebastian Korda and John Millman.
First Semifinal Prediction: Daniil Medvedev vs Denis Shapovalov
Bottom Half
The bottom half of the draw will see two time defending champion Rafael Nadal stepping on the court. He is expected to face, Llyod Harris, the man who beat him in Washington, in his Toronto opener. If he avenges his defeat, he will have either 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov, Reilly Opelka or Aussie Nick Kyrgios waiting for him in the Round of 16.
Diego Schwartzman, Benoit Paire, Roberto Bautista Agut and local Vasek Pospisil are all drawn opposite Nadal and either of them is expected to face the Spaniard in the quarterfinal.
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will face either Ugo Humbert or Lorenzo Sonego in his very first match and hence has received a tricky draw. He will go on to face either of Cameron Norrie, 15th seed Aslan Karatsev or Karen Khachanov in the Round of 16. The winner of the bracket will face either of Felix Auger Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Marin Cilic or Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinal.
Second Semifinal Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal
Semifinals
Denis Shapovalov has usually done well on home soil and hence is expected to play the first semifinal against Daniil Medvedev. The Russian will have an edge given the nature of the surface but Shapovalov has shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the season and will want to do the same. But expect Medvedev to cruise into the final.
The second semifinal will be played between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal. Both players have Clay as their preferred surface but have an amazing hard court game too. Nadal may just prevail given his record at the tournament.
Predicted Final
5-time champion Rafael Nadal will be up against top seed Daniil Medvedev in the final. The two also met in the final of the 2019 edition where Nadal thrashed Medvedev in straight sets. Expect a tough fight this time, but the result will remain the same.
Champion: Rafael Nadal
