Canadian Open Day 8: Men's singles predictions ft. Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli, Taylor Fritz vs Jiri Lehecka | National Bank Open

The remaining men's singles fourth-round matches will be contested on Day 8 of the Canadian Open 2025. Karen Khachanov, Alex Michelsen, top seed Alexander Zverev and defending champion Alexei Popyrin have booked their spots in the quarterfinals so far.

Americans Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will aim to join them in the quarterfinals, though each one of them faces a tricky opponent. Andrey Rublev, the runner-up here a year ago, will look to reach the last eight yet again.

The competition only heats up from this stage onwards. With that in mind, here's a look at the predictions for all fourth-round men's singles matches set for Day 8 of the Canadian Open 2025:

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#1. (4) Ben Shelton vs (13) Flavio Cobolli

Shelton beat Adrian Mannarino in straight sets in the second round but needed to stage a comeback to down compatriot Brandon Nakashima in the third round. He fought from a set down to score a 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (5) win.

Cobolli has been pushed to three sets in both of his matches at the Canadian Open so far. He earned hard-fought wins over Alexis Galarneau and Fabian Marozsan to reach the fourth round.

Both are bidding to make the last eight of the Canadian Open for the first time. For Cobolli, it would also be his maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal. The Italian leads their rivalry 2-1, winning both of their matches last year in three sets, that too from a set down on both occasions.

Shelton stopped his losing skid with a straight sets win at the Mexican Open earlier this year. His 15-7 record on hardcourts is miles better than Cobolli's 5-9 record on the surface, thus making him the favorite to beat the Italian for the second time this year.

Predicted winner: Ben Shelton

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#2. (7) Frances Tiafoe vs (9) Alex de Minaur

Frances Tiafoe at the Canadian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Tiafoe has fought his way into the fourth round of the Canadian Open, needing three sets to down Yosuke Watanuki and Aleksandar Vukic along the way. De Minaur, on the other hand, didn't have to do much to make it this far. He received a first-round bye like all seeded players, and then beat Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.

De Minaur received a walkover from Christopher O'Connell in the third round, thus reaching the fourth round after playing only one match. He won the Citi DC Open a week ago, his first title of the season. He's a former Canadian Open finalist, and is currently on a six-match winning streak.

De Minaur has a 23-6 record on hardcourts this year, compared to Tiafoe's modest 10-7 record. The Aussie also leads their head-to-head record 2-1, though he lost their most recent meeting at the Paris Masters 2022 in straight sets. However, given his current form, he should be able to one-up the American once again.

Predicted winner: Alex de Minaur

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#3. (2) Taylor Fritz vs (19) Jiri Lehecka

Fritz hasn't dropped a set en route to the fourth round of the Canadian Open, ousting Roberto Carballes Baena and Gabriel Diallo. Lehecka moved past Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets but was tested by Arthur Fils in the third round, fighting past him 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

The Canadian Open is the only Masters 1000 tournament where Fritz is yet to reach at least the quarterfinals. His current record at the venue stands at 6-6. This is Lehecka's second appearance in Canada, and he improved his record here to 3-1 with his wins this year.

Fritz leads their rivalry 3-0, with all of their matches taking place in 2023. Two of them were on hardcourts, first at the United Cup and the second at the Cincinnati Open. He won both of them in straight sets. Both of them have posted somewhat similar records on hardcourts this season.

Lehecka has a 16-7 record on the surface. Fritz has won two more matches while having the same number of losses. While both have played some of their best tennis on hardcourts, the American's perfect winning record in this rivalry does make him the favorite to win this contest.

Predicted winner: Taylor Fritz

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#4. (6) Andrey Rublev vs (20) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Rublev scored a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Hugo Gaston in the second round. However, he needed to dig deep against Lorenzo Sonego in the third round, rallying from a set down to score a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Davidovich Fokina arrived at the Canadian Open after blowing two championship points in the final of the Citi DC Open. There appears to be no scar tissue from the heartbreaking loss, beating Corentin Moutet and Jakub Mensik in straight sets to reach the fourth round.

Rublev leads their rivalry 5-1, with Davidovich Fokina snapping his losing streak with a win at the Barcelona Open earlier this year. Despite winning a title on hardcourts this year, the Russian's record on the surface stands at 13-9.

While Davidovich Fokina doesn't have a title to his name, he has a 20-10 record on hardcourts this year. He also has a 5-3 record against top 20 players on hardcourts this season. Despite the lopsided head-to-head, he should be able to beat Rublev based on their results on hardcourts this year.

Predicted winner: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Edited by Rohit