Madrid Open Daily Preview: Former Champions Alcaraz and Zverev Meet in the Fourth Round - UBITENNIS
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Madrid Open Daily Preview: Former Champions Alcaraz and Zverev Meet in the Fourth Round

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Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in Madrid (twitter.com/MutuaMadridOpen)

All fourth round men’s singles matches will take place on Tuesday, as well as the first two women’s singles quarterfinals.

 

In a match between two recent Madrid champions, defending champ Carlos Alcaraz takes on two-time champ Sascha Zverev.  The day also sees two all-Russian encounters, as Andrey Rublev faces Karen Khachanov, and Daniil Medvedev plays Aslan Karatsev.  And other fourth round ATP action includes Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz.

Tuesday’s WTA quarterfinals feature 2021 champ Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Major semifinalist Maria Sakkari.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Tuesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.


Karen Khachanov (10) vs. Andrey Rublev (5) – 11:00am on Manolo Santana Stadium

Rublev is 23-9 on the year, and 10-1 across the past three weeks on clay, which includes claiming the biggest title of his career in Monte Carlo.  He defeated both Stan Wawrinka and Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets to reach this quarterfinal.

Khachanov is 18-8 in 2023, and 5-2 on this surface.  He’s outlasted the opposition in two three-setters thus far, including a near three-hour battle with Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday.

These friends and doubles partners, who are still alive in the men’s doubles draw, have split six meetings at all levels.  But Rublev took the only one on clay, which occurred just a few weeks ago in this same round of Monte Carlo.  And with Andrey being the fresher of the two, he should be favored to advance to the Madrid quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.


Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Sascha Zverev (13)  – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium

Alcaraz is 25-2 this season, despite missing all of January due to injury.  He’s now won 17 straight matches in his home country, after taking out Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets on Sunday. 

Zverev is just 12-11, as he continues to regain his form after the serious ankle injury he suffered nearly a year ago at Roland Garros.  He dominated French qualifier Hugo Grenier in the last round, dropping just one game.

Sascha is 3-1 against Carlitos, though they are 1-1 on clay.  Last year in the final of this event, Alcaraz crushed Zverev 6-3, 6-1, just a day after playing a three-and-a-half hour marathon against Novak Djokovic.  But a few weeks later in the quarterfinals of the French Open, Zverev would avenge that loss, prevailing in a fourth-set tiebreak.  That would be the last match Sascha would complete in the 2022 season.

In their clay rubber match on Tuesday, Alcaraz is a considerable favorite.  In the absence of Nadal and Djokovic, he is definitively the best clay court player in this event.  And Zverev is not yet back to his level from a year ago when he defeated Carlitos.


Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:

Mayar Sherif vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is now 26-4 this year overall, and 6-1 on clay.  She hasn’t dropped a set to this stage.  Sherif only owned one main draw win at a WTA 1000 event prior to this surprising quarterfinal run, during which she has upset three seeded players (Kalinina, Garcia, Mertens).  This is their first career meeting.

Aslan Karatsev (Q) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Medvedev leads the tour with 33 match wins, and survived a stern test from Alexander Shevchenko on Monday.  Meanwhile this is the farthest Karatsev has ever gone at a Masters 1000 event.  Aslan actually leads their head-to-head 3-1 at all levels, and 1-0 on clay, having defeated Daniil two years ago in Rome in straight sets.

Borna Coric (17) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29) – Coric upset Hubert Hurkacz in the last round, in only his ninth victory of the season.  Davidovich Fokina upset Holger Rune in an epic encounter that went into the early hours of Monday morning, decided by a third-set tiebreak.  Their only prior encounter has also quite dramatic, with Alejandro prevailing 7-5 in the third last March at Indian Wells.

Taylor Fritz (8) vs. Zhizhen Zhang – Fritz in 27-8 on the year, and now 7-2 on clay.  Zhizhen is the first Chinese man to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event, and outlasted both Denis Shapovalov and Cam Norrie in third-set tiebreaks. 

Maria Sakkari (9) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (31) – Sakkari eliminated Paula Badosa in straight sets on Monday.  Begu is yet to drop a set, and has now advanced to the quarterfinals of Madrid for the third time.  Maria is 2-1 against Irina, with all three matches taking place on hard courts.

Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) – Tsitsipas has already withstood two three-setters, against Dominic Thiem and Sebastian Baez.  Zapata Miralles had never won a main draw match at a Masters tournament prior to this fortnight in his home country. 


Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Roland Garros Daily Preview: Swiatek, Krejcikova, Azarenka, Andreescu Play on Tuesday

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A look at the grounds of the French Open (twitter.com/rolandgarros)

Day 3 in Paris sees the conclusion of first round singles play.

 

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka plays US Open champ Bianca Andreescu in a matchup that headlines Tuesday’s Order of Play.  Day 3 also features the 2023 Roland Garros debuts of the two most recent women’s singles champions: Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova.  Other action includes standouts from this season such as Daniil Medvedev, Elena Rybakina, and Holger Rune.  Plus, last year’s singles finalists, Coco Gauff and Casper Ruud, will both play their opening matches.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Tuesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.


Lesia Tsurenko vs. Barbora Krejcikova (13) – Second on Court 7

Krejcikova was the champion here two years ago in both singles and doubles.  An elbow injury derailed her career last season, but she’s 20-10 in 2023, having won a WTA 1000 title in Dubai.  However, she’s only 5-4 this year on clay, so she does not arrive in Paris with much momentum.

Tsurenko celebrates her 34th birthday on Tuesday, and was a US Open quarterfinalist in 2018.  She is an impressive 25-8 this season at all levels (including qualifying matches, which don’t officially count).  At Indian Wells, the Ukrainian withdrew from her match with Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka, citing a panic attack after what she described as shocking comments regarding the war in Ukraine from WTA CEO Steve Simon.

Their first career meeting is a tricky first round draw for the 2021 champion.  Yet Krejcikova remains the favorite to advance, and is a potential fourth round draw for the 2020 and 2022 champion, Iga Swiatek.


Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Cristina Bucsa – Third on Court Philippe-Chatrier

Swiatek is 28-6 on the year, and 12-2 on clay.  She’s 21-2 lifetime at Roland Garros, having won 42 of 48 sets contested.  But is Iga 100% healthy?  Just over a week ago in Rome, she retired during the third set of her quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina, citing a thigh injury.  However, she’s indicated it is not a considerable injury.

Bucsa is a 25-year-old from Spain who upset Bianca Andreescu at the last Major in Melbourne, coming from a set down to win 6-4 in the third, after saving a match point in the second.  But in the very next round, she only managed one game against her opponent on this day, Swiatek.

On Tuesday, a similarly-comfortable victory should be expected from Iga.


Holger Rune (6) vs. Christopher Eubanks – Third on Court Simonne-Mathieu

Rune made his big breakthrough at this tournament a year ago, achieving his first Major quarterfinal thanks to upsets over Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas.  And the recently-turned-20-year-old has continued to make strong strides ever since, winning the Masters 1000 event in Bercy by outlasting Novak Djokovic in the final, and reaching two Masters finals on clay this season.  Holger is now 27-10 in 2023.

Eubanks made a breakthrough of his own two months ago in Miami, where he came through qualifying and advanced all the way to the round of 16, achieving a career goal of cracking the top 100.  The 27-year-old is now ranked 74th, but has still spent the majority of the past year on the Challenger circuit.  The tall American has a big serve, and is not the easiest of opening round draws.

In their first career meeting, Rune is a clear favorite.  However, I am curious to see how Holger handles this moment, as this is the first time in his young career that he is defending a result quite as big as his quarterfinal appearance from 2022.


Victoria Azarenka (18) vs. Bianca Andreescu – Last on Court Simonne-Mathieu

This is a marquee first-round encounter, though neither player comes into this tournament with much form, nor would either refer to clay as their favorite surface.  Azarenka is 13-9 on the year, and just 2-2 on clay, after withdrawing from Rome due to a right leg injury.  Andreescu is just 9-9 on the year, and 0-2 on clay, coming off a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Marketa Vondrousova in Rome.

Vika is 28-15 lifetime in Paris, having reached a semifinal 10 years ago.  Bibi is only 2-2 in Paris, and is yet to advance beyond the second round at any Major outside of New York.  So in another first-time meeting on the day, Azarenka must be favored to advance.


Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:

Elias Ymer (Q) vs. Casper Ruud (4) – Ruud reached two Major finals last season, but is just 16-11 in 2023, and would fall out of the top five with an early loss in Paris.  Elias is the elder brother of another tennis pro, Mikael, and his only career win at a Slam came at this event.  When they met four years ago at a hard court Challenger in Phoenix, Casper prevailed in three sets.

Thiago Seyboth Wild (Q) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Medvedev is a stellar 39-5 on the year, and coming off a surprising Masters 1000 title on clay in Rome.  Seyboth Wild has accumulated 36 match wins at all levels this year, all on clay.

Rebeka Masarova vs. Coco Gauff (6) – Gauff is 19-8 this year, yet is yet to win back-to-back matches in 2023 on clay.  But Coco did win a hard court title to begin this season, defeating 23-year-old Masarova in the final of Auckland by a score of 6-1, 6-1. 

Elena Rybakina (4) vs. Brenda Fruhvirtova (Q) – Rybakina is 30-7 this season, and just a week ago claimed the WTA 1000 title in Rome.  Brenda and her sister Linda are two teenage Czech teenagers making strong strides in the sport at a very early age.


Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Novak Djokovic Cruises Past Kovacevic To Keep History Bid Alive

Novak Djokovic began his bid for a 23rd Grand Slam title with a straight sets win over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

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Novak Djokovic’s historic bid for a 23rd Grand Slam title is alive after a 6-3 6-2 7-6(1) victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

 

The Serb broke on five occasions as he produced a clinical performance over the American, who idolised Djokovic as a kid.

Djokovic will now face tricky Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round as he looks to send a statement of intent in the opening rounds.

The world number three had a tricky start to the match as Kovacevic more than held his own, using his backhand to effectively power past Djokovic’s defence.

However Djokovic did find a way through in the sixth game as he took his second break point of the set to seal a 4-2 lead.

Despite only winning five matches leading up to Roland Garros, Djokovic started the contest in confident fashion as the one break of serve was enough to seal the opening set.

The two-time champion only conceded three points on serve in the opening set and that dominance continued in the second set as he worked harder to break Kovacevic.

Although the American was resilient, the pressure was too much as Djokovic found a way through in a long opening game.

Djokovic continued to be consistent on return, using depth and power to force unforced errors from Kovacevic.

In this set, it was only four points dropped on serve as the Serb sealed another break, taking a 4-1 lead.

That was all Djokovic needed a two set lead was established after 1 hour and 18 minutes.

It was a more complicated third set for Djokovic even if he did break to love in the opening game.

Djokovic allowed his opponent back into the match after taking his foot after the gas with Kovacevic creating some break points in the third ste.

The American’s determination was rewarded with a break in the sixth game before Djokovic broke for a fifth time in the match to take a 4-3 lead.

Just as when Djokovic was cruising to victory, a poor service game saw Kovacevic break back for 5-5 as the world number 114 would eventually force a third set tiebreak.

However Djokovic raised his level when he needed to as he won seven of the eight points played to seal his place in the second round.

A dominant performance to start his bid for a 23rd Grand Slam title, which would put him ahead of Rafael Nadal on Grand Slam titles won.

Tougher tests await including Marton Fucsovics who awaits on Wednesday.

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Benoit Paire Blasts ‘Rubbish’ French Open Tennis Balls

The outspoken Frenchman has also questioned the logic of a fine recently issued to Hugo Gaston.

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Benoit Paire of France - FOTO: A.MARTINEZ/MMO

France’s Benoit Paire claims the balls used at this year’s French Open are so poor that they don’t even last a full game. 

 

The former top-20 player says the balls being used at this year’s Grand Slam are only suitable for players who have certain ‘physical qualities’ and prevented him from being able to hit attacking shots during rallies. Manufactured by Wilson and developed in collaboration with the French Tennis Federation (FFT), the ball is claimed to ‘have more texture and fluff a bit more’ compared to the ones used on a hard court. It is said to be designed for longer rallies and limits moisture or dirt build-up to maintain its consistency whilst being hit. 

However, in recent days there have been some players who have expressed their dissatisfaction with the ball. Speaking to reporters following his 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, loss to Cameron Norrie, a straight-talking Paire described the balls as rubbish. 

“You play with balls that get bigger after two seconds. The new balls don’t even last a game,” he told reporters on Monday. 
“The balls are rubbish. That’s not the reason why I didn’t win (against Norrie) but you can’t play tennis, though, with that type of ball. You can’t attack. You can’t move ahead. It’s impossible to play an ace.’
“It’s another style of tennis, which is different. It requires physical qualities. It’s a question of who can keep the ball in the court for the longest.”
“You have to hit every ball really hard because it’s not moving. It’s terrible. It’s Roland Garros, one of the greatest tournaments in the world, and we’re playing with these silly balls.”

Paire is not alone in his criticism of the balls. Another player to vent his frustration was Laslo Djere following his loss to Andrey Rublev on Sunday in the first round. 

“The balls are disastrous, the courts are different every time here,” Djere told Sport Klub.
“When I trained outside of Roland Garros, the ball flies, but here it doesn’t. I don’t think I’m badly prepared physically, but after two and a half hours, hitting every ball at 200 per cent, it goes backwards.” 

Issues around balls at tournaments are nothing new this year. Earlier in the season, some players voiced concerns that the heavier Dunlop balls being used could be linked to a rise in wrist injuries. Although this has not been proven. 

Gaston’s fine ‘ridiculous’ 

Paire also spoke out about the recent fine issued to his compatriot Hugo Gaston for unsportsmanlike conduct. Gaston was hit with a 144,000 euro penalty for violating conduct rules for the fourth time within a year. At the Madrid Open, he was seen deliberately dropping a ball on the court as his opponent was about to hit a smash in the hope that the umpire would order the point to be replayed. The 22-year-old has since appealed against the fine which was halved with conditions. 

The size of the fine effectively cancelled out all of what Gaston had earned in prize money this season. Something Paire disagrees with and argues that a more measured approach should be taken. 

“He won $16,000 and has to pay $142,000. I don’t understand the system,” Paire commented. 
“I think that you need to do things according to what you earn. You can’t ask for more money than what the player is going to earn. Otherwise, why play tennis?
“Everything that he has won in prize money since the beginning of the year is below his fine. What he did is not good, but sometimes in matches, you have bad reactions. I think that it’s silly, and it’s a shame to put such big fines.”

Paire is no stranger to getting in trouble with officials. In the past, he has been accused of tanking during matches and was fined $16,500 for his bad behaviour at the 2018 Citi Open. 

“I think that we need to find a system because even for challengers, the fines are really high,” he continued.
“He (Gason) took 20,000 at the beginning of the year as a challenger, and now he has a 140,000 fine. It makes me laugh, but it’s sad. It’s a lot of money. That’s an apartment, and that’s what’s crazy.”

Paire is currently ranked 149th in the world. 

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