Nadal will serve up a straight sets win over Raonic in Canada
Published:They say that the only things certain in life are death and taxes but after examining the prospects of a Rafael Nadal victory against Milos Raonic in the Rogers Cup final that assertion made need reviewing.
The Spaniard has an impressive record against the no.11 seed, winning each of their three previous meetings comfortably in straight sets with two of these victories coming on hard court surfaces.
Nadal has also enjoyed victory at the Canadian Open before, winning in straight sets against similar middle-ranking opposition in the form of Nicolas Kiefer back in 2008 and is on at 1/7 to claim the title again here.
And aside from an understandably close 2-1 win over tournament favourite Novak Djokovic in the last round, the Spaniard has yet to drop a single set against lower-ranked opposition in Montreal.
With this kind of pedigree, the Pearl of Manacor is a great bet to win in straight sets, with Ladbrokes offering a not-too-shabby 4/9 on a 2-0 Nadal victory.
The World No.4 certainly looks likely to come flying out the blocks after winning the opening set of each of his four matches in Montreal so far, with 1/5 available on Nadal claiming the first set of this particular final.
Those confident of a Spanish success in Canada and looking for a little more value in their banker bet, meanwhile, may be tempted to back the reigning French Open champion to win the first set and the match at 2/7.
Whatever the case, Milos Raonic looks unlikely to claim victory here, with odds of 9/2 on a shock result.
The 22-year-old remains a player full of potential but this could be a match too far for the Podgorica-born star.
An impressive win over Martin del Potro aside, Raonic has struggled for form at times, dropping sets against Jeremy Chardy, Ernests Gulbis and Vasek Pospisil en route to the final.
And he could find the speed and power of Nadal too much to handle again here, making evens on the match featuring under 21.5 total games worth a look.
There may be few certainties in life, but the sight of a Spaniard lifting the Rogers Cup this year looks to be one of them.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
