By Tony Fairbairn
- Alex De Minaur [10] v Rafael Nadal [PR]
- Maria Sakkari [5] v Sloane Stephens
- Grigor Dimitrov [9] v Jakub Mensik
MADRID, SPAIN – Rafael Nadal is aiming for revenge when he takes on Alex De Minaur in a rematch from their match in Barcelona as the Spaniard prepares to say goodbye to Madrid.
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Alex De Minaur [10] v Rafael Nadal [PR] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [10] v Rafael Nadal [PR] | H2H: Nadal leads 3-2 |
| Madrid 2024 | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €30,255 |
| Third on Manolo Santana Stadium (Not before 15:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It’s been an incredible season for Alex De Minaur who is showing no signs of slowing down as he continues to produce solid performances. Although clay isn’t the best surface on paper for the Australian, the tenth seed is continuing to raise his level as he is on course for his best season yet. Now De Minaur will aim for continued success with Madrid being more suitable conditions for the De Minaur’s game and in particular his efficient serving.
Now De Minaur will aim to replicate his performance from last week in Barcelona as he takes on Rafael Nadal for the second consecutive week. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is playing his third tournament of the season in Madrid as he returns from injury in a bid to end his career in perfect fashion. However Nadal has made no guarantees about playing Roland Garros with the Spaniard also eying up a place at this year’s Olympic Games. Now Nadal will look for rapid improvement as he bids farewell to Madrid in his final season.
De Minaur will aim to use the conditions to his advantage as he will use the serve to force Nadal into uncomfortable positions as he aims to speed up the tempo of the rallies. Meanwhile Nadal will use the spin to force errors from De Minaur’s game as the former world number one looks to rush De Minaur from the baseline. This should be a more competitive match than the one in Barcelona last week but De Minaur should have too consistency for Nadal. Although don’t be surprised if Nadal pulls out one more incredible performance in front of his home crowd.
Prediction: De Minaur in three sets.
Maria Sakkari [5] v Sloane Stephens H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Maria Sakkari [5] v Sloane Stephens | H2H: Sakkari leads 1-0 |
| Madrid 2024 | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €51,665 |
| Second on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium (Not before 12:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It’s been a good last few months for Maria Sakkari who has backed up her run to the Indian Wells final with some good wins in Miami and Charleston. The Greek continued her good form with an impressive opening win against Donna Vekic and now Sakkari will be aiming for a consistent clay court season. The world number six’s potential suggests that she is more than capable of achieving a big result at Roland Garros and will aim to show that type of form in Madrid.
However a tough opponent awaits in the form of former Roland Garros finalist Sloane Stephens. The American enters Madrid in good form having won the title in Rouen last year and has earned back-to-back wins over Martina Trevisan and Elise Mertens in order to reach the third round. Now the former US Open champion will look to show her continued threat on clay as she will believe that a deep run at Roland Garros is also achievable.
Sakkari will aim to use the faster conditions to her advantage as she looks to serve with pace and accuracy to set up winners off the forehand. Meanwhile Stephens will use her agility and defensive variety to extend the rallies as well as finding space to hit open winners into the open court. This will be a tough match for Sakkari but conditions favour her more than they do Stephens which the Greek should capitalize on to win this match.
Prediction: Sakkari in three sets.
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Grigor Dimitrov [9] v Jakub Mensik H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Grigor Dimitrov [9] v Jakub Mensik | H2H: First Meeting |
| Madrid 2024 | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €30,255 |
| Fourth on Stadium Three (14:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After an incredible season so far, Grigor Dimitrov’s renaissance continues on the clay in what is his weakest part of the season. However the Bulgarian proved that he is more than capable of testing the best as he pushed Holger Rune all the way in Monte-Carlo a few weeks ago. Now in his best consistent form of his career Dimitrov will look to improve his results on clay in Madrid.
Next for Dimitrov is Czech Republican talent Jakub Mensik, who broke through earlier this season with a run to the final in Doha. The world number 74 has proven he has the game and variety to beat some of the world’s best players but the Czech Republican is still getting used to the week-to-week pressures of the tour. Now Mensik will aim to raise his level of play on the biggest stages and produce another big result this season.
Dimitrov will look to be efficient and effective on serve, as he aims to create space in the court and approach the net to finish points off quickly. Meanwhile Mensik will aim to be effective on return and force errors from Dimitrov’s backhand. This will be a tough match but Dimitrov should have enough quality to advance.
Prediction: Dimitrov in three sets.
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