Medvedev vs Van de Zandschulp — a former champion against an opponent he has never lost to
Preview · Montreal (ATP Masters 1000) · Round of 64 · Wednesday 5 August 2026
Daniil Medvedev returns to the Canadian Masters as the fourth seed, the world No. 6 and the man who won this title in 2021, and he does so at a tournament he has now entered nine times. Botic van de Zandschulp comes in as the world No. 70, a former top-25 player whose season has been a grind, but with the useful advantage of a completed match on these courts. What is at stake for Medvedev is momentum rather than survival: after a first week at Wimbledon that ended in the third round, this is where his hard-court block of the year begins, and a former champion cannot afford to stumble at the first hurdle in the section he is supposed to control.
The matchup
The head-to-head could hardly be more one-sided. Medvedev leads 4-0 and has won ten of the eleven sets they have played, including all three of their meetings on hard courts. He took their Australian Open third-round match in 2022 for the loss of only nine games across three sets, won in straight sets in Cincinnati the same year, and needed just 6-2, 6-2 in Rotterdam in 2023. That record is no accident. Van de Zandschulp is a clean, flat hitter who likes to dictate from the middle of the court, and Medvedev is the worst possible opponent for that profile: he absorbs pace, stands deep enough to neutralise the Dutchman's best ball and forces the extra shot the Dutchman does not enjoy playing.
Form & hard courts
Medvedev's season reads 30-12 with two titles, in Brisbane and Dubai, plus a final at Indian Wells and a semi-final in Rome. The blemishes are at the majors, where his best run was a fourth round in Melbourne that ended in a heavy defeat by Learner Tien, and a third-round exit at Wimbledon. Van de Zandschulp is 16-17 for the year and has spent much of it losing early, but he did the required job in the round of 96, beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to make it two wins from two against the big-serving Frenchman. That result matters here: it shows his return is working, which is the only department in which he can trouble Medvedev.
The deciding factor
Whether Medvedev is willing to play long. His route to a straightforward win is to extend rallies, take away van de Zandschulp's preferred court position and let the errors accumulate; his own numbers this year suggest the level is there when he commits to that pattern. The risk is the version of Medvedev who becomes impatient, over-presses off the forehand and hands out free games. Van de Zandschulp cannot construct his way past the Russian, so he needs Medvedev to donate, plus a serving day good enough to shorten a set into a tie-break.
The call
Medvedev in straight sets, with high confidence. Four meetings, four wins and a set count of ten to one is about as clear a guide as this round offers, and the Dutchman's season form gives no reason to expect a reversal now.
