By Tony Fairbairn
- Novak Djokovic [1] v Hubert Hurkacz [12]
- Rafael Nadal [3] v Carlos Alcaraz [7]
- Stefanos Tsitsipas [4] v Andrey Rublev [6]
- Alexander Zverev [2] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [8]
MADRID, SPAIN – The men’s quarter-finals take place on Friday with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal looking to set up a dream semi-final in Madrid ahead of Roland Garros.
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Novak Djokovic [1] v Hubert Hurkacz [12] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Novak Djokovic [1] v Hubert Hurkacz [12] | H2H: Djokovic leads 3-0 |
| ATP Madrid | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: $169,650 |
| First on Manolo Santana Stadium (13:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
When Andy Murray’s withdrawal from their third round match was announced, Novak Djokovic can’t have been too pleased with the Serb looking for matches to build his fitness form. His run to the Belgrade final and his win over Gael Monfils suggests that the world number one is slowly starting to find his way on the clay ahead of his Roland Garros title defence. However to back that theory up, Djokovic would love nothing more than to win a title heading into Paris as a real confidence booster to his chances of winning a record-equalling 21st grand slam.
Next for Djokovic is Hubert Hurkacz with the Pole reaching his second consecutive clay court quarter-final. The Pole defeated Monte-Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina along the way and now the 12th seed looks to try and accomplish what he has done on hard and grass courts onto the red clay. The question remains whether Hurkacz can trouble the top players on this surface and that’s a challenge that the 25 year-old will relish heading into the last eight in Madrid.
It will be interesting to see whether Djokovic’s day of rest will be of positive or negative effect against Hurkacz and the opening 20 minutes should be a good indicator of what the answer is. However Djokovic can usually dictate the points effectively against Hurkacz and this match-up suits him well and there shouldn’t be any change in the outcome especially on the Pole’s weakest surface
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal [3] v Carlos Alcaraz [7] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Rafael Nadal [3] v Carlos Alcaraz [7] | H2H: Nadal leads 2-0 |
| ATP Madrid | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: $169,650 |
| Second on Manolo Santana Stadium (Not before 15:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Another dramatic Madrid win for Rafael Nadal as he fought past David Goffin in three tough hours and sets to reach the last eight. Nadal’s rustiness is still present with this being his first tournament since reaching the Indian Wells final in March. The Spaniard will be looking to improve his serve and the consistency of his forehand as all eyes are on Roland Garros later this month where he will search for a 14th title.
Next for Nadal is one of the many players that idolised him in Carlos Alcaraz who celebrated his 19th birthday with a three set win over Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard has equalled some of the records that Nadal achieved when he was Alcaraz’s age and is looking a complete player who will have belief that he can compete for the major trophies. Now Alcaraz looks to test his skills against this sport has to offer ahead of Roland Garros.
Alcaraz will have firm belief that he can beat Nadal and he will certainly avoid the thrashing he received on his 18th birthday at last year’s event. The key for Nadal will be how quickly can he recover the next day for a big match and will he show the same vulnerabilities as he did against Goffin. Given his form Alcaraz will start the match as favourite but never count out Nadal in Madrid.
Prediction: Alcaraz in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas [4] v Andrey Rublev [6] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Stefanos Tsitsipas [4] v Andrey Rublev [6] | H2H: Tied at 4-4 |
| ATP Madrid | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: $169,650 |
| Third on Manolo Santana Stadium (Not before 20:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Stefanos Tsitsipas is entering his favourite time of year and while Djokovic and Nadal are making the headlines, the Greek has been slowly going about his business in impressive fashion. A title defence in Monte-Carlo and an impressive victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Madrid means that Tsitsipas is indeed proving why he is the third favourite for the Roland Garros title and will look to continue that momentum over the next couple weeks.
The next challenge for Tsitsipas is the in-form Andrey Rublev who has shown his resilience over Jack Draper and Dan Evans to reach the quarter-finals in Spain. The Russian won in Belgrade last week where he showed his tactical quality but it’s his mental quality that has earned him a place in the last eight and he will look to prove that again when he takes on one of his nearest rivals.
Power will win the day here as both players like to go on the attack and be positive in their approach. However Tsitsipas has a bit more accuracy and precision when in a defensive position which will prove vital here. Tsitsipas will be favoutite for this match but Rublev will cause him problems.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in three sets.
Alexander Zverev [2] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [8] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [2] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [8] | H2H: Zverev leads 4-2 |
| ATP Madrid | Madrid, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: $169,650 |
| Fourth on Manolo Santana Stadium (22:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Alexander Zverev has responded well since his early exit to Holger Rune in Munich last week as he looks to defend his title this week. Zverev has been struggling for form this season and hasn’t quite met his own expectations of being in a position to win grand slams so the German will be determined to turn that around this week.
Next for Zverev is Felix Auger-Aliassime who recorded a very impressive victory over Jannik Sinner to reach the last eight in Madrid. After an impressive start to the season the Canadian has looked far off the pace since winning his maiden title in Rotterdam. However Auger-Aliassime looks to rediscover in form in time for Roland Garros where he will look to make his mark on his favourite surface.
These two’s styles have made for intriguing matches and expect this to be no different with the heavier night conditions favouring the Canadian. This match has all the ingredients to be an entertaining match with both players needing a win and Auger-Aliassime enters this match as favourite.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in three sets.
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