The first WTA Madrid round of 32 contests will be played on Day 5. Teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva and US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro are among the top players scheduled to compete. We here at LWOT predict all the matches in two articles, including Coco Gauff vs Ann Li in the other.
WTA Madrid Day 5 Predictions
Liudmila Samsonova vs Yulia Starodubtseva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Starodubtseva was helped by not having to play Karolina Muchova in the last round due to the Czech’s withdrawal, but she still deserves credit for taking advantage against Elisabetta Cocciaretto. There will not be much variety in this matchup against Samsonova. Both players try to hit hard and flat through opponents and do not deviate from their styles. On a clay court, I trust Samsonova to implement that game more consistently.
Prediction: Samsonova in 3
Belinda Bencic vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: Bencic 2-1 Haddad Maia
Haddad Maia ended the worst run of her professional career in the last round against Bernarda Pera, the Brazilian’s first singles win since January. While Haddad Maia’s win was scrappy, Bencic performed excellently against Zeynep Sonmez and the 20th seed, Clara Tauson. Although clay is Bencic’s worst surface and Haddad Maia’s best chance of beating the Swiss, the ugly win against Pera did not inspire enough confidence to back the 2023 French Open semifinalist to overcome Bencic.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
Emma Navarro vs Donna Vekic
Head-to-head: Vekic 2-0 Navarro
Neither player has reached the heights of last season so far in 2025. That is especially true of Vekic, but an exception was her impressive performance to beat Navarro at last month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Predicting the winner in their first match on clay is a challenging task. Navarro’s level on the dirt is more consistently reliable, but Vekic winning a silver medal at Roland Garros last year proved her capabilities. The American is backed to beat Vekic for the first time by utilizing her more complete game, but it is a 50/50 matchup.
Prediction: Navarro in 3
Mirra Andreeva vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Andreeva 1-0 Frech
Andreeva did well to stay solid against Marie Bouzkova, who is tough to hit through on clay, in the previous round. Frech’s style is similar to Andreeva’s. The Pole tries to be aggressive from the baseline when possible, and her backhand is her stronger groundstroke. Andreeva’s best level is simply much better than Frech’s. The teenager needs to have a bad day to give her opponent a realistic chance of causing an upset in Madrid.
Prediction: Andreeva in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
