Rogers Cup Predictions: Potential Upsets Early in the Tournament

The ATP 1000 Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada is a very exciting tune-up event for the U.S. Open. All of the top players (with the exception of Andy Roddick) will make appearances and look to earn this title to boost their confidence and U.S. Open Series points.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray hope that it will be smooth sailing to the semifinals, but nothing is guaranteed in the sport of tennis.

The early round matchups are very intriguing, yet, who will be the most prone to succumbing to an upset?

Who Can Challenge Novak Djokovic?

Novak Djokovic will most likely face Nikolay Davydenko in the second round, and the Russian has certainly challenged the Serb in the past. These two have gone the distance in three-setters in four out of the five matches they played. Djokovic leads the head-to-head meetings 3-2.

But, Djokovic is now a much better player than he used to be, and Davydenko has fallen off the tennis charts since he had his wrist injury. Still, don't expect an easy straight-sets win.

Also, Djokovic could face either Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro in the third round. Both of these players have a good chance of startling Djokovic's game, but maybe only the Argentine could actually pull off the win.

Look for del Potro to show his skills on the hard courts.

What About Rafael Nadal?

Rafa has the easiest draw out of the Big Four for the second and third round.

However, he could play his Spanish compatriot and incredibly talented lefty, Fernando Verdasco, in the third round. Verdasco has done fairly well on clay in the past few weeks, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has found the game that he possessed in 2009 yet.

The quarterfinals look very tough for Nadal, though—Tomas Berdych, Alexandr Dolgopolov (who could take out Berdych in the second round), Ivo Karlovic and Gilles Simon happen to be serious threats to the No. 2 player's game.

So, look for Nadal to go unchallenged for the first few days but do not expect him to make it to the final so fast.

Are Roger Federer's Chances Any Better?

Roger Federer, the No. 3 seed and player in the world, should have an easy second-round match against either Juan Ignacio Chela or the Canadian wild card, Vasek Pospisil.

After that, though, Federer could face Bernard Tomic or Jo-Wilfired Tsonga. Both of these players are extremely dangerous and are playing better tennis now than ever (although Tsonga may have been at his absolute best in 2008). The variety from the young Australian and the power from the Frenchman could mess up Federer's rhythm.

If he makes it through those two opponents, Federer can prove why the event is named after himself and possibly win it. But, keep an eye out for the amazingly anticipated matchup, as always, between him and Djokovic in the semifinals.

Can Andy Murray Defend His Title?

Andy Murray will most likely play a tough challenger from South Africa, Kevin Anderson, in his first match.

Other dangerous players that he could run into afterwards are David Nalbandian and Stanislas Wawrinka.

Look for the Scot to make the quarterfinals at least, though.

Will Mardy Fish Prove That He Is the Real Deal?

The now guaranteed-to-be No. 1 American until the U.S. Open has many questions to answer from tennis watchers everywhere. He will definitely be up for the challenges that come with being in the Top 10 and will look for some key wins at the Rogers Cup to stay on top of the U.S. Open Series rankings.

Fish could play Radek Stepanek or Feliciano Lopez in his first match—both are in sublime form again and can play without feeling the burden of being the heavy favorite to win. Lopez also scored a crucial win over Fish in the Davis Cup just a few weeks ago.

The third round presents talents such as Mikhail Youzhny, Michael Llodra, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Ernests Gulbis, who just beat Fish in the Farmers Classic final in L.A.

The first three players want to show that they can still play at an older age, and Gulbis wants to back up his victory to prove that he is not just the No. 1 Latvian player, but a serious contender.

Regardless of what happens and who wins, I hope you enjoy the event!

To see the full draw for the Rogers Cup, click here.

This article was written by Jeff Cohn, a sports writer and enthusiast.