Explosive Monfils hunts for Murray scalp at Rogers Cup
Published:Having coasted past Xavier Malisse in round two, Andy Murray now faces the decidedly more difficult challenge of Gael Monfils in the third round of the Rogers Cup.
Murray is a strong 1/5 favourite to win the tie, but Monfils’ athleticism and thunderous groundstrokes make him a dangerous opponent.
In three encounters against Monfils, Murray has won twice, including their last meeting at the Madrid Masters in 2008, which he won in straight sets.
Another two-set victory for Murray in Toronto is priced at 4/7, while a win in three is available at 3/1.
As recently as Monday, however, Murray tasted defeat against Monfils, when the British number one and Ross Hutchins lost their doubles match to Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets.
When Monfils last beat Murray in a singles match, the tie went to a deciding set, and the Frenchman is temptingly priced at 13/2 to claim a three-set victory in Toronto.
Rafael Nadal vs Kevin Anderson
After a difficult 7-6 6-3 win over Stanislas Wawrinka in his first match since clinching a second Wimbledon title, Rafael Nadal now takes on South African underdog Kevin Anderson.
Nadal is a convincing 1/5 to go through in straight sets, though he will be wary of Anderson, who knocked out Sam Querrey in the second round.
After toppling 16th seed Querrey, Anderson could pose Nadal some problems, and the South African is 7/1 to beat the world number one.
Novak Djokovic vs Victor Hanescu
World number two Novak Djokovic had to dig deep to beat Julien Bennetau in the second round, and he is 4/9 to defeat his next opponent Victor Hanescu in straight sets.
The Serbian has won all four of his previous clashes with the 29-year-old Hanescu, and he is a resounding 1/7 favourite to progress to the next round.
The players last met at this year’s French Open, where Hanescu won a set but eventually lost to Djokovic, who is 7/2 to win in three sets in Toronto. See the full Djokovic vs Hanescu Match Betting Odds market.
