The first joint ATP/WTA 1000 event of the clay season is underway in Madrid. Friday features second round matches in both the men’s and women’s singles draws.
A year ago at this event, Andrey Rublev won his second Masters 1000 title, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a near three-hour final. However, Rublev arrives in Madrid this season having lost nearly as many matches as he’s won, and he is faced with a tough opening round draw in an in-form Gael Monfils. Other ATP action on Friday features top-seeded Alexander Zverev,as well as 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev.
WTA second round matches on Friday are headlined by a collision between Major champions, as Elena Rybakina takes a recently-returned Bianca Andreescu. Plus, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and Spanish No.1 Paula Badosa will both take the court.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Gael Monfils vs. Andrey Rublev (7) – Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Rublev is just 11-9 on the year, despite winning a title two months ago in Doha. He has now lost five of his last seven matches, as we wait to see if the recent addition to his team of Marat Safin pays any dividends. Andrey will be feeling plenty of pressure this fortnight, as an early loss would see him plummet outside the world’s top 10, and perhaps even the top 20.
By contrast, Monfils is a strong 16-6 during 2025, and on Wednesday became the oldest man to ever win a match at this tournament, with a comeback victory over qualifier Borna Gojo. Like Andrey, Gael won a hard court title earlier this season, in Auckland, before reaching the second week of the Australian Open via an upset victory over Taylor Fritz. But Monfils is just 16-13 lifetime in Madrid, and has only once advanced beyond the second round within the last 14 years.
This is a rematch from just two weeks ago in Monte Carlo, where Rublev defeated Monfils in straight sets. Overall he leads their head-to-head 3-1, with his only loss coming seven years ago on a hard court, when Andrey was barely ranked inside the top 40. And the altitude in Madrid often favors big hitters. So despite recent form, I favor Rublev to advance on Friday night.
Elena Rybakina (10) vs. Bianca Andreescu – Not Before 9:30pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Rybakina has rather quietly accumulated a record of 17-7 on the season, as she’s yet to reach a tournament final during 2025. In fact, it’s now been over a year since Elena has played in a final, when she won the Stuttgart title in April of last year. At this tournament a year ago, she lost a highly-competitive semifinal to Sabalenka, which was decided by a third-set tiebreak.
This is only Andreescu’s second event of the year, as a career that has been marred by injuries and illness suffered yet another setback this past February, when she underwent an emergency appendectomy. Her 6-2, 6-4 win on Wednesday was her first since last fall. Bianca also missed the first five months of last season, eventually going just 11-10 during 2024. The Canadian is 3-2 in Madrid.
Rybakina has taken both of their prior encounters in straight sets: back in 2022 at Wimbledon, and back in 2023 in Dubai. And with Andreescu just three matches into her latest comeback, Rybakina must be favored again on Friday night.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Paula Badosa (9) vs. Veronika Kudermetova – Badosa has unfortunately been forced to withdraw from multiple events of late due to a recurring back injury. And she has a losing record of 2-4 against Kudermetova, though when they played here three years ago, Paula prevailed 6-3, 6-0.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Anna Blinkova (Q) – Sabalenka is 25-5 on the year, but a year ago in Madrid, she lost a heartbreaking final to Iga Swiatek, an over three-hour affair that went all the way to a third-set tiebreak.
Daniil Medvedev (9) vs. Laslo Djere – Medvedev is a modest 14-8 this season, and he’s just 6-5 lifetime in Madrid. Daniil has taken two of three meetings with Djere, including a straight-set win three years ago at Roland Garros.
Alexander Zverev (1) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut – Zverev is coming off a title run last week in Munich, and he’s a two-time champion in Madrid. His head-to-head against Bautista Agut dates back to 2013, with the Spaniard winning their first two matches, but Sascha winning their last five.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
