Friday was a newsworthy day in Madrid, as Rafael Nadal suffered a defeat on clay for the first time in 51 weeks at the hands of Dominic Thiem. Today in the semifinals, Thiem will battle Kevin Anderson, a man he’s never beaten in six tries. But in our preview, we’ll focus on the other men’s semifinal, between ATP young guns Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov. Also on Saturday, the women’s final will take place, with the hottest player on the WTA tour facing a surprise finalist.
Petra Kvitova vs. Kiki Bertens
In the women’s final, Kvitova will look to extend her 10-match win streak and secure her second straight title after taking the trophy last week in Prague. It would be her fourth title of the year, having already won back-to-back titles earlier this year in St. Petersburg and Doha. A win today would move her passed Simona Halep and into second place in the year-to-date rankings. Her opponent is a 26-year-old Dutch player going for the biggest title of her career. While not as established as Kvitova, Bertens can play on the clay. Kiki advanced to the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2016, and won the clay tournament in Charleston just last month. The only time these two played each other, Kvitova lost just one game. But that was three years ago, and on the grass at Wimbledon. Still, considering Kvitova’s current win streak, and the altitude in Madrid enhancing her game, Petra should prevail.
Alexander Zverev vs. Denis Shapovalov
19-year-old Denis Shapovalov had never won a tour-level match on clay before this week, but now he finds himself in his second Masters 1000 semifinal. His first such semifinal was his only previous meeting against 21-year-old Alexander Zverev, who stopped the Canadian’s thrilling run in Montreal last summer. Shapovalov has gone on another impressive run this week, highlighted by defeating the Canadian number one Milos Raonic. Shapovalov will become the new top-ranked Canadian if he wins this semifinal. But Zverev will be stiff competition. The German is on a seven-match winning streak, having won the title just last week in Munich. Zverev hasn’t dropped a set this week in Madrid, and will be the favorite to advance to his fourth Masters final.
