The 2019 Coupe Rogers is in its closing stages, and a familiar name is in the final. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who came into the tournament as the overwhelming favourite according to the Coupe Rogers 2019 odds after the withdrawals of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, will have a great chance to score his fifth career title in Canada.
But the way in which Nadal made the final of this year’s tournament is an equally important piece of Coupe Rogers 2019 news, not to mention his opponent in the aforementioned final.
Allow SBOBET to break down all of those compelling storylines as this year’s Coupe Rogers draws to a close.
Rafael Nadal walks over to the final
Rafael Nadal is back in the final of the Coupe Rogers for the second year in a row, and he didn’t even have to break a sweat to get there. That’s because his semi-final opponent, Gael Monfils, had to withdraw from the tournament due to an ankle injury.
It was unfortunate for the Frenchman, who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in a thrilling three-set battle that went into a third-set tie-break to reach the semis. It was the third semi-final Monfils had reached this season after Dubai and Sofia.
“I love these matches, night session, Rafa,” Monfils said. “I play tennis for that, for the big moments, big shows. It was [the] safest decision not to play.”
Monfils said he consulted with his coach, Liam Smith, about the decision to withdraw. Smith said it was too risky to continue playing, especially after Monfils had already retired in Wimbledon. It was a wiser decision to pull back in order to avoid a more serious injury.
As for Nadal, he now has a chance to extend his record for most Masters 1000 titles to 35 as well as defend the Rogers Cup for the first time in his career.
Daniil Medvedev makes back-to-back finals
Nadal’s foe in the final will be No. 8-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who defeated fellow Russian and No. 6 seed Karen Khachanov in the other semi-final.
Medvedev is playing some outstanding tennis at the moment and didn’t drop a single set en route to the final in Montreal.
“I’m playing very well right now. I believe if I am able to play like this, it’s not going to be easy for Rafa,” Medvedev said. “It’s going to be a big battle. I’m hoping that I can pull it out.”
It will be Medvedev’s first-ever meeting against Nadal, and he is already sensing a different feeling with facing Nadal than with other top players.
“Of course it’s extra special. I played Novak and Roger a few times, both of them already. It’s different, I have to say. Yeah, there is some extra pressure. At the same time it’s fun to play them because, well, that’s what I have been working for all my life,” Medvedev said. “I won’t be intimidated. I want to win every match I play… hopefully I can do it tomorrow.”
This will also be Medvedev’s second final in as many tournaments. Prior to heading to Canada, he made it all the way to the final of the Citi Open in Washington D.C., where he lost to Nick Kyrgios.
Medvedev is 1-3 in four finals this season, with his lone title coming in the Sofia Open. Apart from Kyrios, he also lost to Dominic Thiem in Barcelona and to Kei Nishikori in Brisbane at the start of the season.
Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev fall in the quarter-finals
Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev — the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively — were able to avoid the early exit that other seeds endured. But in the end, neither would go on to reach the final.
Prior to defeating Khachanov in the semis, Medvedev first saw off Thiem in the quarter-finals in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Meanwhile, Khachanov had an equally impressive 6-3, 6-3 win over Zverev in his quarter-final matchup.
Thiem has won two titles this season: on the clay courts of Barcelona and at Indian Wells. But apart from that title at Indian Wells, the Austrian has struggled on hard court this season. Prior to the Coupe Rogers, he had crashed out in the first two rounds of his other three hard-court tournaments.
As for Zverev, he has had a somewhat disappointing year to date. He has only won just one title after four in 2018 and five in 2017, which included the Rogers Cup.
The two will look to bounce back and produce a much better showing at the Cincinnati Masters as they continue to prepare for the final Grand Slam of the season — the US Open.
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