Rogers Cup 2016: Monday Scores, Results and Updated Toronto Masters Schedule
The main draw of the 2016 Rogers Cup in Toronto kicked off Monday with men's singles action.
John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic were the four ranked players to take the court on the first day, with Novak Djokovic, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka among those to come later in the week.
Below is a brief overview of how Monday's first-round play unfolded and a look ahead to Tuesday:
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| Borna Coric def. Ivan Dodig | 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Grigor Dimitrov def. Yuichi Sugita | 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-4 |
| John Isner (9) def. Dudi Sela | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Kevin Anderson def. Viktor Troicki | 7-6 (4), 6-3 |
| Gilles Muller def. Dmitry Tursunov | 7-6 (5), 6-1 |
| Ryan Harrison def. Alejandro Gonzalez | 6-3, 6-1 |
| Jack Sock (16) def. Denis Kudla | 6-4, 7-6 (1) |
| Steven Diez def. Kyle Edmund | 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Peter Polansky def. Tim Smyczek | 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 |
| Mikhail Youzhny def. Stephane Robert | 6-3, 7-6 (6) |
| Denis Shapovalov def. Nick Kyrgios | 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3 |
| Bernard Tomic def. Alejandro Gonzalez | 6-4, 7-6 (1) |
| Sam Querrey def. Frank Dancevic | 7-6 (5), 6-4 |
Monday Recap
Kyrgios was the only seeded player to fall in the first round. Denis Shapovalov beat the Australian in three sets, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3.
As if losing in the opening round to a 17-year-old who's ranked 370th in the world wasn't enough of a blow for Kyrgios, on-court microphones caught him making plans for after the match while it was still going on, per Sportsnet's Arash Madani:
Going by this tweet from Caroline Cameron of Sportsnet, Kyrgios may not have been in the right frame of mind:
He committed 18 double-faults and was his own worst enemy. The 21-year-old is immensely talented, but he's in a similar position to where Andy Murray was early in his career. Foolish errors and inconsistency have prevented him from reaching his peak.
Kyrgios has time to turn his career around, and perhaps Monday's defeat can serve as a wake-up call.
Isner advanced to the next round but not without a fight from Dudi Sela. Sela pushed the American to three sets before falling. In the end, the Israeli journeyman had no answer for Isner's serve.
The heavy-hitting American collected 15 aces and lost just five of his 52 first-service points. Isner didn't give Sela any openings on his second serve, either, winning a respectable 50 percent (11 of 22) of his second-service points and committing one double-fault.
Little separated Tomic and Alejandro Gonzalez, but the 12th seed came up big in the right moments to prevail in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (1). The 23-year-old German saved five of Gonzalez's nine break-point opportunities, and on the other side, he converted all three of his break-point chances.
Tomic sealed the win with an impressive drop shot, which the Rogers Cup shared on Twitter:
"[Gonzalez] played two good matches in qualifying and he had a bit of momentum...so it was not easy for me," Tomic said, per the ATP World Tour's official website. "I feel like here's a good chance for me. I really have to focus and really go for my shots and relax if I want to make a quarter or semi."
Tuesday Schedule
| Yen-Hsun Yu vs. Alexander Zverev | 11 a.m. ET |
| Gael Monfils (10) vs. Joao Sousa | Not Before 1 p.m. ET |
| Borna Coric vs. Tomas Berdych (5) | ----- |
| Vasek Pospisil vs. Jeremy Chardy | Not Before 7 p.m. ET |
| Mikhail Youzhny vs. Stan Wawrinka (2) | ----- |
| Radek Stepanek vs. Benoit Paire (14) | 11 a.m. ET |
| Donald Young vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov | ----- |
| Fabio Fognini vs. Steve Johnson (15) | ----- |
| Ivo Karlovic vs. Taylor Fritz | ----- |
Most of the biggest stars won't come out in Toronto until the next round, but Tuesday will feature a few names tennis fans will want to follow.
Nineteen-year-old Alexander Zverev will open play against Yen-Hsun Yu. Zverev entered the radar for many fans when he pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets at the BNP Paribas Open in March.
Since then, the German teenager has been prone to the bouts of inconsistency that are common for most young players. On his best day, he can give some of the best in the world a run for their money. Coming off a trip to the semifinals at the Citi Open, Zverev could be a dark-horse candidate to make a deep run in Toronto.
Tomas Berdych will also be stepping onto the court Tuesday to take on Borna Coric. Expectations will be high for the 30-year-old Czech after he reached the French Open quarterfinals and Wimbledon semifinals. On both occasions, he lost to the eventual champion.
Both of Berdych's last two head-to-head matches against Coric ended in straight-sets victories, so he shouldn't have much trouble with his first-round opponent.
Gael Monfils is always a lot of fun to watch, and he'll have a tough test in his opening match. He owns a 2-1 advantage over Joao Sousa, with the Portuguese coming out on top in Metz, France, in September 2014.
Monfils had a disappointing 2015 Rogers Cup, losing to Gilles Muller in the second round. Beating Sousa won't be easy, but the Frenchman should put together a strong performance as he builds on his win at the Citi Open.
Wawrinka will close out play on the center court Tuesday against Mikhail Youzhny. Youzhny is 3-2 against the tournament's No. 2 seed, but the two haven't faced off since 2010. A lot has changed since then.
This will be Wawrinka's first match since his second-round exit at Wimbledon. The Swiss will have a point to prove, which could spell bad news for Youzhny.
Note: The full schedule for Tuesday's action is available on ProTennisLive.com. The full draw is available on the ATP World Tour's official website. Match stats are courtesy of the tournament's official website.
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