The third round gets underway on Sunday at the ATP Madrid Masters, and the action is really starting to heat up as seeds meet each other. Who will move on to the Round of 16? Who will be sent home? As always, we here at LWOT share our thoughts on all the matches with you. We split the eight Day 5 matches between this and a separate article.
ATP Madrid Day 5 Predictions
Hugo Grenier vs Alexander Zverev
Zverev still hasn’t returned to anything near his old form since his devastating injury at last year’s French Open. He’s slowly getting there, though, and his draw here in Madrid has been very kind to him. He should be able to advance in this matchup.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
Matteo Arnaldi vs Jaume Munar
What a run here from Matteo Arnaldi, taking out Casper Ruud in the second round. This matchup is favorable for him, as well. Munar’s passive style can get the best of a fair few players on clay, but Arnaldi’s aggressiveness and confidence means he won’t break down as rallies go on.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 2
Hubert Hurkacz vs Borna Coric
Coric won Cincinnati last year in stunning fashion, but he hasn’t translated that into elite consistency. Hurkacz, meanwhile, is playing very well, on all surfaces. Peak Coric is probably better than Hurkacz, but we have no idea when we’ll see that from Coric.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Andrey Rublev vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Rublev got the biggest title of his career a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo, and his form looks to be at about that level still. He lost the final in Banja Luka to an inspired Dusan Lajovic, but Djokovic also lost to his countryman at that event, so I wouldn’t worry much. In the Russian’s current form, there’s nothing Nishioka can to do make this even competitive.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
