Canadian Open 2022: Top 3 seeds knocked out in opening round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time this century

It was a nightmarish opening round for the top seeds at the ongoing Canadian Open in Montreal.

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by Tommy Paul in three sets on Tuesday, August 9. Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas then lost in straight sets to Jack Draper on Wednesday, August 10. Later in the day, reigning Citi Open winner Nick Kyrgios dumped out top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev in three sets.

This marked the first time since the 1999 Indian Wells Masters that the top three seeds bit the dust in the opening round of a Masters 1000 tournament. That year at Indian Wells, top seed Pete Sampras lost to Felix Mantilla, and second seed Yevgeniy Kafelnikov lost to Gustavo Kuerten.

Meanwhile, third seed Alex Corretja came up short against Mark Philippoussis.

Coming back to the Canadian Open, fifth seed Andrey Rublev is also out of the tournament after losing to Dan Evans in his tournament opener. Fourth seed Casper Ruud was the lone top-five seed to survive the opening round, beating Alex Molcan.

However, there were no opening round casualties among seeds six to ten. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz, Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz all progressed to the next round.

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Canadian Open to have a first-time Masters 1000 winner this week?

Andy Murray bit the dust in the opening round.

In the absence of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev, Andy Murray was the only former winner to enter this year's Canadian Open. However, the Scot, who received a wildcard, bowed out against 10th seed Taylor Fritz in the first round, winning only four games.

Nevertheless, there are a few Masters 1000 winners alive in the field in the form of Fritz, Norrie, Hurkacz and Marin Cilic. Fritz recovered from a 4-0 deficit against compatriot Frances Tiafoe to reach the Round of 16.

Jannik Sinner, Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud and Nick Kyrgios could also do some serious damage this week. All four players have won titles this year and will be looking to lift their first Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Canadian Open.

The Canadian Masters hasn't had a first-time Masters 1000 winner since Andy Roddick in 2003. Interestingly, the tournament saw a first-time Masters 1000 winner in each of the six previous years before Roddick's triumph.

After a week of upsets aplenty, it won't be a surprise if the Canadian Masters sees a first-time Masters 1000 winner for the first time in nearly two decades.