Scouting Report: Medvedev Leads The Way In Montreal, Alcaraz Makes Debut | ATP Tour

The world’s best return to ATP Masters 1000 action this week as the ATP Tour visits Montreal for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev leads the field in Quebec, where he is seeking to defend the crown he won in Toronto in 2021. Carlos Alcaraz chases his third Masters 1000 title of the season and is the second seed on his Canadian Masters 1000 debut, while Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will look to channel the support of their home fans. 

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch in Montreal.

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1) Medvedev Seeking More Canadian Success: Medvedev captured the title when the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event was played in Toronto last season. With the action set to take place in Montreal this week, the 26-year-old will look to maintain his strong hard court record and clinch his 13th title on the surface. The top seed, who advanced to his first Masters 1000 championship match in Montreal in 2019, could face Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a blockbuster second-round clash if the Australian overcomes Sebastian Baez in the first round.

2) Alcaraz Makes Montreal Debut: #NextGenATP Spaniard Alcaraz will make his debut in Quebec as he looks to build on his standout season. The 19-year-old lifted Masters 1000 trophies in Miami and Madrid earlier this season and arrives in Canada off the back of runs to clay-court finals in Hamburg and Umag. The second seed, who currently sits at a career-high No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will face American Tommy Paul or Canadian wild card Vasek Pospisil in his opening match.

3) Tsitsipas, Ruud Make Hard-Court Returns: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud have traditionally produced their best tennis on clay courts in recent years, having earned 12 titles on the surface between them. However, Ruud showed strong hard-court pedigree earlier this season when he reached the final in Miami, while the Greek Tsitsipas has won four titles on hard courts, including the Nitto ATP Finals crown in 2019.

Both will be aiming to quickly find their groove in Montreal as they prepare to compete on hard for the first time since April in Miami. Third seed Tsitsipas, who reached the semi-finals in Toronto last year, will face a qualifier in his first match, while fourth seed Ruud takes on Slovakian Alex Molcan or American Mackenzie McDonald.

4) Felix & Shapo Carry Home Hopes: The duo that led Team Canada to ATP…