Montreal, Aug 11 (IANS) The weather has forced a major reshuffle at the Montreal Masters, with persistent rain and severe thunderstorm warnings bringing Monday’s singles programme to a premature halt and pushing all four remaining quarter-finals into Tuesday.
The disruption means Rafael Jodar’s clash with Arthur Fils and the meeting between Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima, both originally scheduled for Monday, will now open Tuesday’s singles action from 12:30 p.m. ET.
Jodar and Fils will meet for the third time, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head record tied at 1-1. The Spaniard enters the contest with growing momentum after defeating Fils on hard court in Washington last month, a run that carried him all the way to the final. Now ranked No. 13 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, the 19-year-old is bidding to reach his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final.
Standing in his way is a familiar opponent enjoying a strong season at this level. Fils has already reached three Masters 1000 quarter-finals this year and is seeking a third semi-final appearance, having previously gone that far in Miami and Madrid.
The other rescheduled Monday quarter-final pits Darderi against Nakashima. The Italian arrives after recording his 30th victory of the season, earning a place in the last eight for only the second time at Masters 1000 level.
Nakashima, meanwhile, is appearing in a Masters 1000 quarter-final for the first time. The American also has a career milestone within reach: a victory would lift him to No. 25 in the live rankings, giving him a new career-high position.
Tuesday’s evening session will then bring the other two quarter-finals into play. Ben Shelton, the fifth seed, is set to face 13th-seeded Jakub Mensik, while No. 12 seed Learner Tien will take on Spain’s Daniel Merida, with those matches scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m. ET.
The compressed schedule will leave little room for further delays, with the semi-finals now slated for Wednesday and the championship match on Thursday.
–IANS
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