Tsitsipas gives Rice no chance
It was an unusual situation for a man of his stature: Stefanos Tsitsipas, once ranked third in the world and one of the most experienced players in the field with 13 ATP titles to his name, had to fight his way into the main draw through qualifying at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal. Having missed the direct acceptance deadline and returning to qualifying for the first time since 2018, he wasted no time reminding everyone why, even as world No. 51, he remains a favourite to go deep in any tournament he enters. Against 20-year-old Canadian Keegan Rice, who had come through on a wildcard, Tsitsipas left little room for doubt: 6–3, 6–4 — a clear-cut victory.
Rice, who grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, and had only recently reached his first quarterfinal at an ATP Challenger event in Vancouver, gave a decent account of himself in front of a home crowd. He landed four aces and got his first serve in at a rate of 65 percent, holding serve reliably for much of the match — winning 78 percent of his service games. But when it mattered most, he simply lacked the quality to put the experienced Greek under any real pressure.
Serve dominance and clinical conversion
The key to Tsitsipas's victory lay in his ability to convert break points at the crucial moments while simultaneously fending off every threat on his own serve. The numbers tell the story clearly: Tsitsipas held serve in every single service game — a flawless 100 percent rate — and saved every break point he faced, also at 100 percent. Rice, by contrast, failed to convert a single break point opportunity, finishing with a break point conversion rate of zero.
Tsitsipas was dominant on serve, winning an impressive 93 percent of first-serve points. While his first-serve percentage of 49 percent left room for improvement, he more than made up for it with a second-serve points-won rate of 57 percent — well ahead of Rice, who won just 39 percent of points on his second serve. On return, Tsitsipas won 33 percent of points, clearly outperforming Rice, who managed only 25 percent.
Into the main draw — and a déjà-vu from 2026
The 6–3, 6–4 victory means more to Tsitsipas than a routine exercise. The Greek, who had claimed his 13th ATP title just this July at the Swiss Open in Gstaad — his first in roughly 16 months — is clearly in fine form. In Montreal, he continues that upward trajectory and now steps into a 96-player main draw where the world's best await him.
For Keegan Rice, the experience of facing one of the ATP Tour's most recognisable names remains a valuable benchmark. The 20-year-old showed fighting spirit at the IGA Stadium and demonstrated that his serve can hold up at this level. But the class and composure of Tsitsipas — evident in every key moment of the match — proved a step too far for the Saskatchewan-born underdog on this occasion.
