Jack Draper faces Atmane upset threat in Montreal opener
Jack Draper opens his National Bank Open campaign against Terence Atmane in Montreal after an injury-hit stretch that has left the Brit with an 8-5 season record. Betting tipsters price Atmane around 15/8 to cause an upset, pointing to the Frenchman's hard-court form and recent win over Frances Tiafoe.
Key Takeaways
- Jack Draper meets Terence Atmane in the first round of the 2026 National Bank Open in Montreal.
- Draper is 8-5 this season after an injury-plagued year and an Eastbourne semi-final exit on 26 June.
- World No. 46 Atmane recently beat Frances Tiafoe in Washington and is tipped at 15/8 for an upset.
- The pair have never played each other before, so there is no head-to-head history.
- Sky Sports listed the ATP first-round clash for 4 August 2026.
Why does Jack Draper's Montreal opener matter?
Any other year, this Montreal first-round meeting might look like a banker for Jack Draper. Betfred tipsters noted the Brit was priced at 2/5 against Atmane, reflecting his superior talent on hard courts. Context has changed after a difficult recovery cycle.
Draper made no further appearances in 2025 after withdrawing from his US Open second-round match against Zizou Bergs on 28 August. The 24-year-old returned in the Davis Cup on 5 February 2026, but has played just 12 times since and retired from one of those contests.
His last outing was an Eastbourne Open semi-final exit on 26 June. An 8-5 record still reads positively given the interruptions, yet a first-round Masters test against a sharp opponent is far from ideal. More strange sporting twists sit in our Bizarre World coverage.
Who is Terence Atmane and why is he a threat?
Atmane, World No. 46, has won only 13 matches this calendar year, but seven of those victories have come at Masters tournaments. He has also prevailed in five of his last seven hard-court contests, according to the Monday tip preview.
Last week in Washington, Atmane shocked then-World No. 19 Frances Tiafoe — now World No. 20 — by 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. He then fell in straight sets to Alejandro Tabilo (3-6, 6-7). Tipsters still fancy his match sharpness and fitness to trouble Draper at 15/8.
Because Draper and Atmane have never met, there is no head-to-head record to lean on. That blank slate is why the Frenchman's recent form is being weighed so heavily against Great Britain's biggest hope in the men's singles.
When can fans watch Jack Draper vs Atmane live?
Sunday's Montreal and Toronto schedules were disrupted by poor weather, pushing plenty of tennis into the early-week backlog. Sky Sports listed Terence Atmane versus Jack Draper in the National Bank Open first round on 4 August 2026 at 8:05pm.
The ATP World Tour clash forms part of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers 2026. With Draper still rebuilding match rhythm and Atmane arriving off a Masters-week win, the opener is being framed as a potential banana skin rather than a routine favourite's win.
For bettors following the Monday tips, Atmane to beat Draper was the headline leg of a 9/1-style treble. Whether that "Montreal disaster" framing holds depends on whether Draper's hard-court quality or Atmane's sharper recent workload wins out on the night.