The ATP clay court season continues in Spain with the Mutua Madrid Open. This Masters 1000 event welcomes in a 96-man singles draw that features some of the world’s best, including its last two champions: Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. Day one of main draw action features some very intriguing matchups, including world No. 39 Maxime Cressy taking on 2015 Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka. We at LWOT have the preview and prediction for that match and all other happenings around the grounds of Madrid. But who will advance?
ATP Madrid Day 1 Predictions
Quentin Halys vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-Head: Halys 3-2 Popyrin
A top 75 battle between Quentin Halys and Alexei Popyrin is set to take place in Round 1 in Madrid. These two most recently played last year, splitting their two meetings. Neither player favors the clay as their best surface, so it will be intriguing to see how they battle the conditions in this match. Halys had an impressive run to the Estoril semifinals earlier this month, beating Nuno Borges, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Dominic Thiem. The 26-year-old Frenchman looked in control and was able to dictate the pace of most rallies. I foresee that happening in this match, as I trust Halys’ ability to force the Aussie into a boatload of unforced errors.
Prediction: Halys in 2
Thiago Monteiro vs Borna Gojo
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Thiago Monteiro and Borna Gojo are ranked outside the top 95, making a win at the Madrid Masters very impactful for their ranking. The Brazilian Monteiro is known as a clay-court specialist. He moves well and uses a heavy lefty topspin ball to push his opponents around the court. These are the exact tactics he will look to employ against Gojo. The 25-year-old Croatian worked his way through qualifying without dropping a set and reached the Murcia Challenger final earlier this month. Gojo will look to be aggressive in this first-round battle, but I do not see him possessing the tools to break through such a good mover like Monteiro.
Prediction: Monteiro in 2
Yibing Wu vs Alex Molcan
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Yibing Wu and Alex Molcan are separated by just one spot in the ATP Rankings, setting up for a very competitive Round 1 battle in Madrid. Wu burst onto the ATP scene this year, posting a 7-5 record while winning the title in Dallas. That said, all of his damage has been on hard courts. Wu is 0-2 in clay-court tour-level matches. Molcan, on the other hand, favors the clay as his favorite surface. He is 25-12 in his ATP career on the clay and reached the semifinals in Banja Luka last week. I believe Wu can turn into a solid clay courter, but Molcan’s experience and movement on the surface will be too much to overcome in this match.
Prediction: Molcan in 2
Maxime Cressy vs Stan Wawrinka
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Maxime Cressy and Stan Wawrinka will square off for the first time in a battle of brute force in Madrid. Cressy, one of the few pure serve-and-volley players left on tour, had a career year in 2022, amassing 26 ATP wins. 2023, however, has yet to be as kind to him. The 25-year-old American has dropped six matches in a row and has won just one career clay-court tour-level match. Wawrinka may be 38, but the 2015 French Open champion knows his way around a clay court. I expect Cressy to force a tiebreak or two in this match, but I favor Wawrinka’s ability to raise his level during pressure points.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
