Rafael Nadal has won Roland Garros 13 times, Barcelona 12 times, Monte Carlo 11 times, and Rome 10 times. Yet at the Madrid Open, Spain’s biggest tournament, Nadal has only prevailed five times in 15 appearances, and hasn’t been the champion since 2017. But Rafa arrives in Madrid with a sensational 20-1 record on the season, and he’s yet to play a match on his beloved clay.
As the men’s singles draw completes second round action on Wednesday, the women’s singles draw is already up to the quarterfinals. On a loaded Wednesday schedule, other ATP action includes Sascha Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, while the WTA quarterfinals are headlined by two-time champion Simona Halep facing Ons Jabeur, who is the highest seed remaining in a draw that has seen plenty of upsets.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 12:00pm local time.
Ons Jabeur (8) vs. Simona Halep – 12:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Three-time champion Petra Kvitova is the only woman who owns more wins at the Madrid Open than Simona Halep, and that will change if Halep herself becomes a three-time champion this weekend. After a calf injury disrupted her 2021, and with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Simona seems primed for a strong clay court season. But Ons has become quite a force on this surface, with a 23-6 record since last year. Halep leads their head-to-head 2-1, with Jabeur’s only victory coming after Simona retired mid-match, though it’s worth noting all three meetings occurred on hard courts. At a tournament where she’s a four-time finalist, a healthy and rejuvenated Haelp is the favorite.
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
This will be Nadal’s first match since the rib injury he suffered six weeks ago at Indian Wells. And it comes against one of the ATP’s fastest-rising players. 21-year-old Kecmanovic started the year ranked 78th, but has cut that ranking in half with 24 match wins on the season. Guided by a former Nadal foe in David Nalbandian, Miomir has already reached six quarterfinals in 2022. And on Tuesday against Alexander Bublik, he committed a mind-boggling zero unforced errors in the entire match. Kecmanovic faced Nadal two years ago on a hard court in Acapulco, with Rafa prevailing in straights. Despite this being the weakest of the prominent clay court events in Nadal’s career, the Spaniard remains a considerable favorite on this surface, especially considering how well he has played this year.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Sascha Zverev (2) vs. Marin Cilic – Zverev is a two-time and defending champion, and has taken his last six matches against Cilic, though they haven’t played since 2018. Marin is only 13-9 lifetime in Madrid.
Amanda Anisimova vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova – Anisimova defeated both Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka to reach this quarterfinal, while Alexandrova overcame Jelena Ostapenko. Amanda claimed their only previous meeting, two years ago in Doha.
Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof (7) vs. Carlos Alcaraz and Marc Lopez – This is Lopez’s retirement event, where he is teaming with his country’s new teenage star. Skupski and Koolhof have 27 wins on the season, and lead the year-to-date doubles rankings.
Jil Teichmann vs. Anhelina Kalinina – Teichmann has already taken out Petra Kvitova, Leylah Fernandez, and Elena Rybakina. Kalinina has eliminated Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, and Emma Raducanu. Three years ago on clay in Bastad, Anhelina defeated Jil in straights.
Hubert Hurkacz (12) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Hurkacz was dismal 1-4 on clay last season, but already owns four wins in 2022. Davidovich Fokina was the runner-up in Monte Carlo, where he upended Novak Djokovic. They’ve met three times on hard courts, with the Spaniard taking two of those three encounters.
Diego Schwartzman (13) vs. Grigor Dimitrov – Clay is not usually Dimitrov’s strength, yet he’s 6-2 on it this year. But Schwartzman remains the far better player on this surface, and won their only previous clay court matchup.
Jessica Pegula (12) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo – Pegula will reach a career-high ranking following this event, which could be inside the top 10 if she keeps winning. Spaniard Sorribes Tormo is coming off two of the biggest wins of her career, over Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina. Sara has twice beaten Jessica, though they’ve never played in the main draw of a tour-level event.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. Lucas Pouille – Tsitsipas has started the clay court season 7-1, with his only loss at the hands of Alcaraz. Pouille is a former top 10 player currently ranked 174th in the world, as he’s struggled to regain his form after battling injury. Stefanos nabbed both their prior matches in straight sets.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
