Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev were all out of the ATP Montreal Masters on Wednesday, with the tournament losing its top two seeds within a few hours. Zverev was beaten by Tallon Griekspoor, Auger-Aliassime withdrew before his scheduled night match because of a back injury, and Medvedev lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp.
The departures reshaped the early stages of the event after world number one Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic had already been absent before play began. Zverev entered as the top seed and world number three, while Montreal native Auger-Aliassime had been a major focus for local interest.
Griekspoor rallies to upset top seed Zverev
Griekspoor recovered from losing the opening set on a tiebreak to defeat Zverev 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-4 in the second round. Zverev, playing for the first time since his Wimbledon final defeat to Sinner, faded during the second set against the world number 69.
The deciding set had further momentum swings. Griekspoor came within a point of taking a 5-2 lead, but Zverev fought back to level the set at 4-all after the Dutchman lost serve. Griekspoor responded immediately, breaking the top seed again before serving out one of the biggest victories of his career.
“This is one of the most special wins I’ve ever had,” Griekspoor said. “I’ve had a tough season. I was close to throwing in the towel a few times. But I’ve been working harder in practice and reaching a good level. I felt it was about time for a big win.”
Zverev described the defeat as among his poorest performances of the season. “I didn’t expect to play well,” he said. “I also didn’t expect to play this bad, to be honest.” He added that he was happy with his recent months and said the focus would be on returning to that form.
Auger-Aliassime’s exit came without a match. The Canadian said he injured his back while training on Monday after two weeks in Montreal without problems. He attempted to warm up before his scheduled night match but said he could not serve well enough to compete.
“It was quite sudden,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Just the timing is tough.” Tournament director Valerie Tetreault said the event had hoped the local player would be able to make a run, noting the level of interest around his anticipated appearance.
Medvedev, the fourth seed and 2021 champion, also exited in his Canada opener. Van de Zandschulp won 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), denying Medvedev what would have been his 100th career Masters-level victory. The Russian was credited with 40 unforced errors in the loss.
Shelton advances as Fonseca sets up Ruud meeting
There was better news for fifth-seeded defending champion Ben Shelton, who beat fellow American Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 7-5. Shelton trailed 4-1 in the second set but won six of the final seven games to reach the third round in 96 minutes.
The victory was Shelton’s 28th of the season and extended his winning run in Canada to seven matches. He said he had needed to overcome pre-tournament nerves and called the straight-sets result a “huge positive,” particularly against an opponent he described as a difficult match-up.
Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas lost 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 to 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca. Fonseca hit nine aces among 31 winners and will next face ninth seed Casper Ruud. With several leading names gone early, the Montreal draw has opened significantly heading into the next round.
