Day 5 of the ATP Madrid Open sees plenty of mouth-watering clashes between a number of the top players on tour. We’ve seen some unbelievable tennis already, and home favorite Rafael Nadal will hope to continue his great form as he takes on Alexei Popyrin. While it’s always amazing to see Nadal on his favorite surface, there are plenty of enticing match-ups that await us. As throughout the week, we will be making our predictions on who will advance to the next round. We also have predictions for the rest of the matches, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
ATP Madrid Open Day 5 Predictions
Aslan Karatsev vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: First meeting
A highly fascinating encounter here. Both players are in superb form as of late, winning their matches against seeded players in the second round. Bublik pulled off a fabulous upset against Denis Shapovalov in a three set stunner, and is continuing to impress this season. He is excellent at bamboozling and frustrating his opponents, and could very well make it a tricky match for Karatsev.
Aslan Karatsev pulled off an impressive win against seventh seed Diego Schwartzman, who is one of the best in the world on clay. Karatsev isn’t seeded in Madrid, but this doesn’t stop him being the favorite in most matches he goes into. It’s still hard to believe that this man was relatively unheard of at the start of the year and he’s now beaten Novak Djokovic on clay as well as other top players. It’s hard to see him losing to Bublik as his power is so phenomenal as his form, but Bublik’s flamboyant and exuberant playstyle may earn him a set.
Prediction: Karatsev in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: First meeting
Federico Delbonis has had a fantastic week so far, taking down Pablo Carreno Busta and recent Estoril champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The 30 year-old Argentine has been on the tour for quite a while now but clearly still has plenty of motivation and ability in him. However, he now faces a brutal encounter with eighth seed Matteo Berrettini, who flew past fellow countryman Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
Berrettini looks back to his best this season, and he’s an absolute joy to watch when he’s playing this well. His unrelenting power from his serve and forehand can dismantle almost anyone, and he should make a good run at this tournament. Delbonis also has an excellent serve (despite having one of the more bizarre service actions out there), so will certainly do plenty of damage with it. It should be a very tight encounter really, and it’s difficult to imagine there being many breaks of serve. It’d be unsurprising to see three sets unfold, but Berrettini’s power should be enough to see him through.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Daniil Medvedev vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: Medvedev 1 – 0 Garin
Medvedev struggled at times in his encounter with Davidovich Fokina, as his love/hate relationship with clay was apparent throughout the match. He did pull through in three sets, and despite what people say, he is more than capable of bringing some of his best tennis to the surface. He’ll be faced with another tough task here when he plays Garin, who is often a handful on clay.
Garin would have been disappointed in Estoril, losing to eventual finalist Cameron Norrie. He clearly wants to atone for this in Madrid, as he’s breezed past his opening rounds in straight sets. His match with Medvedev will be far tougher, though, and he’ll have to bring his best. Garin is excellent at grinding points out, but we know all too well that Medvedev excels at this. Medvedev will have to start this match better than his previous round, as Garin will certainly capitalize on any poor play. It could well go the distance here, but Medvedev should be strong enough to win it in three.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: First meeting
Rafael Nadal came up with a beautiful display of tennis to defeat rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, who could do little to stop the great Spaniard despite his clear talent. Not many people this week can realistically stand in Nadal’s way, and he should come through his early rounds very comfortably. This said, Aussie youngster Popyrin is impressing more and more as his young career progresses, and he’s playing some lovely tennis right now.
One of the upsets of the week came from Popyrin in the second round as he defeated another rising superstar, Jannik Sinner, in straight sets. Not many, if any people, saw this result coming. His confidence from this result will be very high heading into this battle, and he’ll be relishing his chance at playing the “King of Clay.” While Popyrin will definitely make a match of it, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do enough to cause Nadal enough any major issues.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
