Daniil Medvedev hits a return during a match against Alejandro Davidovich at the National Bank Open, in Montreal, on Aug. 8.David Kirouac/Reuters
The first full day of seeded players seeing action at the National Bank Open produced some surprising upsets.
Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina while No. 8 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped a 6-4, 6-4 decision to former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan.
Those results came on the heels of the Canadian contingent being wiped out in both singles and doubles over the first two days of the men’s tournament.
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Alexander Zverev, No. 7 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 13 seed Holger Rune all advanced, though.
Sinner, who won last year’s event in Toronto, was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over qualifier Borna Coric of Croatia. Zverev had no trouble easing past Australian Jordan Thompson 6-1, 6-1 while Dimitrov routed qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-0.
“Very happy and excited to go back on court,” said Sinner, who hasn’t played since Wimbledon and missed the Olympics due to tonsillitis. “For sure it was a tough match, but I served quite well in important moments and returned well in the games when I broke him.
“So a very positive start.”
All move on to the third round, which is scheduled for Friday with significant rain in the forecast.
The tournament has added an extra match on the stadium court, where play normally begins at 12:30 p.m. with two matches. Action instead will begin at 11 a.m. as organizers hope for some windows of play.
For those who exited Thursday, there was drama.
Now 34, with two elbow surgeries and a hip operation behind him, Nishikori – the ‘14 U.S. Open finalist – earned his first win over a player ranked in the top-20 in more than three years.
“I was very shaky, and there were many ups and downs in the first match but today, I was solid from the beginning,” Nishikori said.
The match – much like the one involving Medvedev and Davidovich Fokina taking place concurrently on the stadium court – wasn’t without its intrigue.
With Nishikori serving for the first set at 5-2, he was stopped in mid-motion by the sight of Tsitsipas having an earnest but one-sided discussion with his father/coach, Apostolos.
The exchange ended with Apostolos Tsitsipas leaving the player box to go sit in the very last row at the top of Rogers Court. Tsitsipas then reeled off 10 straight points.
“It wasn’t, like, the first time for him (to argue with his father during a match), so I was not confused much,” Nishikori said with a sly grin. “That, I didn’t really care.
“He can do whatever he wants, but the only bad thing is he started playing better. It almost went to 5-5. I was really lucky that somehow I managed to hold the game.”
Tsitsipas’s issue with his father/coach was that he had been testing out a different racket string in practice. And although he voiced concerns it was taking away all the pace on his forehand, he said his father ignored them.
“I’ve been complaining to my coach about it already the last four, five days,” he said. “That was also the reason I had a confrontation with him during the match.
“I feel like my father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations or trying to read what’s happening inside the court. That’s really poor performance, and it’s not the first time he has done that. I’m really disappointed in him.”
Tsitsipas went back to his previous string type at that point. But Nishikori’s vintage level stifled any thoughts of a comeback.
For Medvedev, a need to use the facilities after the second set came a little late in the break and was stymied by the ATP rules and a two-minute walk each way.
“I was stupid. I had to go out and I didn’t react quickly enough,” said Medvedev, who’s still alive in doubles. “Actually, this cost me some energy in the end.
“I believe the tournament should put toilets next to Centre Court. It would be easier. I don’t think it’s very expensive.”
Other seeds to fall included No. 10 seed Tommy Paul, No. 11 Ben Shelton and France’s Ugo Humbert, seeded No. 12.
Paul was beaten 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 by a fellow American, qualifier Brandon Nakashima. Shelton was upset by Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6 (4). And Humbert lost a tight 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) decision to Nuno Borges of Portugal.
The only Canadian of any kind still alive is No. 15 seed Alejandro Tabilo, who’ll face Sinner in the third round.
Tabilo, 26, was born and raised in Mississauga, Ont., and represented Canada as a junior. But he has been playing under the Chilean flag since he was 18.