Expect plenty of entertaining tennis on day two at the ATP Madrid Open, with a certain Spanish superstar set to make what may be a final appearance at La Caja Magica. As ever, here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Richard Gasquet vs Lorenzo Sonego, Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Yoshihito Nishioka and Alex Michelsen vs Joao Fonseca
ATP Madrid Day 2 Predictions
Alejandro Tabilo vs Flavio Cobolli
Head-to-head: first meeting
Flavio Cobolli was so nervous when he had to play Rafael Nadal in Barcelona last week and completely failed to handle his heavy lefty topspin. Alejandro Tabilo is a southpaw himself, but has a much more aggressive style with flatter ball-striking. That doesn’t mean Cobolli will have an easy time handling his game and in fact, it seems like the Chilean could use the faster Madrid conditions to his advantage. He’s also coming off a nice run to the Bucharest semifinals.
Prediction: Tabilo in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-head: first meeting
For Albert Ramos-Vinolas even qualifying for this event has to be considered a success at this stage, but the draw has been fairly kind to the veteran. Pavel Kotov’s piercing flat forehands will be doing damage on these courts and if only the Russian was able to find just a bit more consistency this year. Ramos-Vinolas was almost out of the qualifying at the first hurdle and saved match points against Diego Schwartzman. The determination spirit was there, but will it be enough to contain Kotov’s offense? This should be pretty tight.
Prediction: Kotov in 3
Sebastian Ofner vs Pedro Cachin
Head-to-head: Ofner 1-1 Cachin
Pedro Cachin has now lost 15 matches in a row, 11 of them in 2024. Sometimes he’s been pretty unlucky (took a set in all four Golden Swing events), but the amount of dreadful performances seems to be increasing too. In a way, this is a perfect opportunity as the Argentinian loves altitude conditions and made the fourth round at this event last year. But Sebastian Ofner has that big-hitting game to match Cachin’s aggression and maybe the 29-year-old will need to wait a little while longer.
Prediction: Ofner in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Rafael Nadal vs Darwin Blanch
Head-to-head: first meeting
Rafael Nadal doesn’t seem optimistic ahead of Madrid and it looks likely that this will be his final season. The serving in Barcelona was nowhere near normal and while the baseline game still carries some threat, Alex de Minaur was simply a class above for now. But can Nadal still put away the 16-year-old wildcard Darwin Blanch. That seems very likely as the young American is still extremely raw and will be struggling for consistency on his massive lefty forehand.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Main photo credit: Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
