Jannik Sinner extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to 24 matches - the fourth longest since 1990 - with a comfortable victory over qualifier in third round of Madrid Open against qualifier Elmer Moller. Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils both advanced in convincing fashion, while Tomas Martin Etcheverry's comeback ended Dino Prizmic's remarkable run through the draw after the Croatian had stunned both Berrettini and Shelton earlier in the week. Monday completes the round of 32 with the bottom half in action, headlined by Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Daniil Medvedev taking on rising qualifier Nikolai Budkov Kjaer.
Sinner extends historic Masters streak
Jannik Sinner continued his relentless pursuit of tennis history with a routine 6-2, 6-3 dismantling of Elmer Moller, extending his Masters 1000 winning streak to 24 matches - the fourth longest in series history since 1990. The world No. 1 faced an unfamiliar opponent in the Danish qualifier but showed his class throughout, reeling off four consecutive games from 1-1 in the opening set. Despite dropping serve once in the second set, Sinner's consistency proved too much for Moller, who was facing a top-10 player for the first time. Now 26-2 for the season, the Italian is just four wins away from becoming the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 crowns, having already captured titles in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo this year.
Musetti returns to form against Griekspoor
The sixth-seeded Musetti showed no signs of rust in his return from injury, breaking Griekspoor's serve twice in each set to secure his place in the Madrid fourth round for the third time. The Italian was particularly impressive under pressure, winning 6 of 11 serve pressure points while capitalizing brilliantly when Griekspoor faltered, converting 12 of 22 return pressure points. His clay court form over the past 12 months has been exceptional at 17-5, and this victory demonstrated why he's considered one of the most dangerous players on the surface. Griekspoor, ranked 33rd, struggled to match Musetti's intensity after the opening exchanges, with the Italian's superior court coverage and tactical awareness proving decisive in the key moments.
Fils climbs in rankings with commanding display
Arthur Fils continued his remarkable comeback story with a composed 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Emilio Nava, moving to fifth in the race rankings despite missing the Australian Open due to injury. The 21st seed's mental strength was on full display as he dominated the first-set tiebreak before breaking early in the second set. His return from injury couldn't be more different from other players' struggles, with an outstanding 11-2 clay court record over the past 12 months. Fils won 7 of 10 serve pressure points and showed his improved return game by converting 6 of 18 return pressure opportunities. One more victory in Madrid would see him return to the top 20, marking a complete turnaround from his injury-plagued early season absence.
Lehecka powers past Michelsen
Jiri Lehecka delivered a dominant serving performance to dispatch Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-2, with the Czech's aggressive style perfectly suited to the Madrid conditions. The 11th seed fired 10 aces and didn't face a single break point throughout the match, winning all 11 serve pressure points he faced. Lehecka's strong showing moves him to a career-high 12th in the live rankings and 11th in the race, continuing his steady climb up the ATP ladder. Michelsen, who has struggled on clay with just a 2-7 record over the past 12 months, couldn't find answers to Lehecka's powerful groundstrokes and precise serving.
Etcheverry mounts stirring comeback
Tomas Martin Etcheverry showcased his renowned fighting spirit with a remarkable 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory over qualifier Dino Prizmic. The Argentine, known for his ability to turn matches around, started slowly as Prizmic's aggressive tactics dominated the opening set. However, Etcheverry's superior defensive skills gradually wore down his opponent, who relied heavily on winners without incorporating any net play. The 25th seed won 9 of 16 serve pressure points and crucially broke serve at the start of both the second and third sets to seize control. Prizmic, despite impressive wins over Matteo Berrettini and Ben Shelton earlier in the tournament, ran out of steam as Etcheverry's clay court experience proved decisive in the longer rallies.
Monday preview
Third round is gonna be completed on Monday with match-ups from bottom half of the draw. Alexander Zverev will look forward to navigate through battle against Terence Atmane after tight three-setter played against Mariano Navone in first match. The Frenchman is just 4-5 in ATP tour matches on clay in last year, which looks like the routine task for second seed. Felix Auger Aliassime faces a tricky opponent in form of Alexander Blockx who is competent on clay with 11-4 record in last year, including 5 match victories in main tour. The Belgian has played two tight three-setters against Cristian Garin and Brandon Nakashima earlier on this week in Madrid. Clay is not beloved surface for the Canadian, but third seed of the tournament easy dispatched Vilius Gaubas in first match, having no breakpoints to save with a commanding serving performance.
A. Zverev (2) vs. T. Atmane match preview
F. Aliassime (3) vs. A. Blockx match preview
Reigning champion Casper Ruud clashes with highest ranked Spanish player in the draw, after demolishing other home player Jaume Munar by 6-0 6-1. Fokina came back after one month of rest, defeating Pablo Carreno Busta by 6-3 6-3 in first match after comeback. Daniil Medvedev and Flavio Cobolli face qualifiers, who wrote the greatest stories of their career so far this week. The Russian has bounced back after shocking performance displayed against Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo with 0-6 0-6 lose, however Fabian Marozsan has put a hard fight in three sets. His Monday's opponent Nikolai Budkov Kjaer came from qualifiers to dominate Denis Shapovalov by 6-2 6-1 in round of 64. The Norwegian is yet to face any single breakpoint in main draw, and got broken just once in qualifiers, being yet to lose a set in Madrid this week. Cobolli meets Adolfo Daniel Vallejo who is first player from Paraguay to win a match on ATP 1000 level.
C. Ruud (12) vs. A. Fokina (20) match preview
D. Medvedev (7) vs. N. Budkov Kjaer (Q) match preview
F. Cobolli (10) vs. A. D. Vallejo (Q) match preview
Two very good clay court specialists meet against each other in encounter between Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi. Both won ATP 250 titles on red dirt in this season - the Argentinian has claimed his dreamed title on home soil in Buenos Aires, while Mariano Navone clinched career's maiden title in Santiago. Karen Khachanov and Jakub Mensik clash in the match which promises a great serving fest - the double digits of aces fired are surely expected to come there. Stefanos Tsitsipas wants to replicate fanstastic performance showed against Alexander Bublik with dropping just two first service points and scoring 10 aces, as he gave no chance for the world number 11 in hit clash of previous round. Spanish qualifier Daniel Merida Aguilar will test his consistency after defeating the world number 30 Corentin MOutet by 6-3 6-4, which practicaly books him the first career's advance into top 100 of ATP rankings.
F. Cerundolo (16) vs. L. Darderi match preview