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Dimitrov, Tsitsipas & Fritz can score big in Montreal: Predictor Picks
The stars of the ATP Tour have a big opportunity to earn PIF ATP Rankings points this week at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Montreal, where Jannik Sinner is the defending champion.
The champion will leave Canada with a whopping 1,000 points. If the winner suffered an early exit in 2023, that will earn players of the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor a huge sum of net points.
Who will you select this week? ATPTour.com looks at stars to watch for this week in Montreal.
Grigor Dimitrov - defending 0 points
When a player the calibre of Dimitrov enters such a big event without any points to defend, there is huge room for scoring by PIF ATP Rankings Predictor players
The seventh seed will play a qualifier in the second round and the first seeded opponent he could face is 11th seed Ben Shelton, who will have to adjust quickly to conditions in Montreal when he arrives from Washington.
Dimitrov has also enjoyed a big season at hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events, making the Round of 16 at Indian Wells and the final in Miami, where he claimed three consecutive Top 10 wins.
Taylor Fritz - defending 90 points
Fritz has enjoyed a consistent season, tallying a 37-14 record so far. He lost a tight match in the third round of the Paris Olympics to eventual bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti and will be confident after earning bronze in men’s doubles with longtime friend Tommy Paul.
The ninth seed opens his Montreal run against Argentine Mariano Navone, who has never played a tour-level match on a hard court. Fritz has won five of his eight ATP Tour titles on hard courts, including his lone Masters 1000 triumph at Indian Wells. Sixth seed Casper Ruud is a potential third-round opponent.
[ATP APP]Stefanos Tsitsipas - replacing 15 points
The Greek star has proven he can succeed in Canada before. While he has not yet made a deep run in Montreal, he advanced to the Toronto final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2021.
Tsitsipas showed good form at the Paris Olympics, where he reached the quarter-finals before falling to top seed Novak Djokovic. This year's Monte-Carlo champion is 35-14 for the season and hungry for more.
The 25-year-old stands to gain plenty of net points if he moves through the Montreal draw. He will focus on his opening opponent: #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen or former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori.
Bonus Ball - Grigor Dimitrov
In the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor, net points are key. If a player is not defending any points, he at worst will break even, leaving plenty of room to claim a positive number of net points.
That is why it is a good idea to double your points by placing your Bonus Ball on Dimitrov. The Bulgarian is not dropping any points and as the 33-year-old showed in Miami this year, the 33-year-old is still capable of catching fire at the world's biggest tournaments.
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