Roger Federer has advanced to the round of sixteen at the 2017 Rogers Cup. The Swiss Maestro had little trouble with Canadian-player Peter Polansky. Federer advanced in straight sets to open the main court for the day in Montreal. The final line score in the match was 6-2, 6-1 in a contest that lasted just 54 minutes.
For Polansky, the loss does not really represent a major setback. For a player of his ranking, being in the 2nd round of a Masters Series event is good news, to begin with. The Canadian earned a win over Vasek Pospisil in the first round and, at the age of 29, Polansky has some momentum right now that hasn't been there for most of his career.
The Canadian may yet crack the top 100 on tour during the course of the 2017 season.
Federer's next opponent
Federer will next face either David Ferrer or Jack Sock. Either way, the matchup will not be a bad one for Federer. Ferrer is the more-proven tennis talent between him and Sock. However, Federer has a crushing 16-0 record against the diminutive Spaniard. Federer, conversely, has not faced Sock anywhere close to 16 times, however the World No. 3 is 3-0 against the American with three straight-sets victories in their history. Furthermore, Sock might hit a brick wall for fatigue soon as he was deep in the Washington draw last week. Should the American defeat Ferrer, Sock would be contesting his 7th match in just over a week if he faces Federer on Thursday.
Whatever way you slice it, Federer will have a big edge in the round of sixteen. He'll either be facing a player that he's 16-0 against or one that should be tiring very soon.
Federer eyeing another record
As Federer played his match on Wednesday against Polansky, Andy Murray announced that he would not be contesting the 2017 Cincinnati Masters.
That means that Federer will have an improved chance of getting to the World No. 1 ranking in the weeks ahead. While the top players missing tournaments is bad for the sport, it does soften draws for the players that are not injured. With a deep run in Montreal and a deep run in Cincinnati next week Federer may find himself ranked No.
1 again. That would set a record for oldest player to reach the top of men's tennis, one currently held by Andre Agassi.
Of course, Rafael Nadal will have much to say about who is ranked No. 1 in Murray's place. The Spaniard will play in Montreal later in the day against Borna Coric. With a win there, a win on Thursday, and a win on Friday Nadal would be the top-ranked player on Monday regardless of how the late rounds go in Montreal this weekend.
