Roger Federer chose the Rogers Cup in Montreal as a starting point to what it may be another tremendous segment of the season for the 36-year-old. Having a lot of big targets on his radar for the upcoming weeks, including another Grand Slam and the World No. 1 spot, Federer cruised in his first pro match in Canada since 2015. The field lost some top-seeded players by the end of the day, making Federer's projected trajectory even easier. His opening match had the home crowd's favorite Peter Polansky on the other end. Currently ranked 116th in the world, the 29-year-old had zero chances against two times former titlist Roger Federer.
Federer conceded only three games throughout the encounter
Entering the match, their head to head status was formed by a single previous encounter. It occurred also at the Canadian Masters three years ago and it had Federer winning in straight sets 6-2 6-0. As it turned out, this time Polansky won an additional game as he went on losing by 6-2 6-1 in a bit under an hour of play. Overall, Federer was in the right zone with his shots piercing holes through the opponent's defense. He struggled partially when it came to that well-known disruptive first serve but Polansky is not the type of player who can step in to take advantage of those minor flaws. As a first official match since winning 2017 Wimbledon, Federer did great.
Federer has a clear path towards the final
Although it may be premature to put Federer on the high ground, there are reasons to do it. Seeded second in Montreal, he's leading the bottom half of the draw. But, some top-seeded players didn't make it as one by one Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori were sent off. That puts Grigor Dimitrov ( the seventh seed) in the position of being the highest seeded player who can challenge Federer.
They are on a collision course for the semis. For Federer, a deep run at the Rogers Cup would put him even closer to reaching the world No. 1 in Cincinnati, the next stop on his schedule. Back to Montreal, in the round of 16, Federer will gear up for a classic match-up against David Ferrer as the Spaniard got past Jack Sock in three sets.
In the upper half of the draw, Rafael Nadal is making his move as the Spaniard could overthrow Andy Murray this week. Nadal will kick start his campaign against Borna Coric, the young Croatian tennis star ranked 55th in the world. Federer and Nadal facing off is a possibility only if both make it to the final. It could be their fourth collision in 2017 and a chance to watch another blockbuster of men's tennis.
