Saturday features the completion of second round action in the men’s singles draw, and the start of third round action in the women’s singles draw.
Last January at the Australian Open, Iga Swiatek was upset in the third round by then-teenager Linda Noskova. Since that encounter, Swiatek has defeated Noskova four times, but three of those matches have gone deep into a third set. On Saturday, a struggling Iga faces off with Linda for the sixth time within the past 16 months.
The other half of the night session on Saturday sees 18-year-old phenom Joao Fonseca take on 11th-seeded Tommy Paul. Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and many other top seeds will be in action.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Saturday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Linda Noskova (31) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
This is the first time in five years that Swiatek arrives in Madrid without a title on the season. And she hasn’t even reached a final since last June, when she won her fifth Major at Roland Garros. Iga has not been the same player since serving a one-month suspension for a positive drug test in the fall. On Thursday, she had to come from a set down to avoid her second loss of the year against Alexandra Eala, in a match where Swiatek sprayed many errors and often looked quite frustrated by her own play.
Noskova is a modest 12-10 this year, and she came into this tournament having lost five of her last seven matches. But she’s still a threat against top players: as per Tennis Abstract, Linda is 2-1 this year against top 10 opposition. However, that only loss came against Swiatek, in Doha.
Overall Iga is 5-1 against Linda, though their last three matches have all gone to either 6-4 or 7-5 in the third, so this has been a competitive rivalry. Yet even though Swiatek is not in top form, clay remains her favorite surface. And she’s now 14-2 in Madrid, having reached the final in both of the last two years. So Iga should be favored, as we wait to see if she rediscovers her best tennis during this clay court season.
Joao Fonseca vs. Tommy Paul (11) – Last on Manolo Santana Stadium
Fonseca is now 23-5 at all levels during 2025, with two Challenger titles on hard courts, and an ATP title on clay. This is just his fourth Masters 1000 appearance, after making his debut at this level a year ago at this very event, when he upset Alex Michelsen in the first round before losing to Cam Norrie. Joao’s explosive forehand is the highlight of his all-around impressive game.
Paul is 15-6 this season, but his best results have been three semifinal appearance at 250 or 500-level events. He’s just 2-4 lifetime in Madrid, and hasn’t advanced beyond the fourth round of a Masters tournament in nearly a year. But Tommy has achieved three Masters semifinals within the last two years, with one coming on clay, last May in Rome. And the 27-year-old American has a similar all-around game to that of Fonseca’s.
In their first career meeting, I expect an extended battle. But in front of what will be a raucous Saturday night crowd in Madrid, I expect Joao to embrace the moment, as he’s already proven himself to thrive in front of big audiences. Fonseca is a slight favorite to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Saturday:
Mirra Andreeva (7) vs. Magdalena Frech (27) – Andreeva is 22-5 on the year, with titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. And it was at this event two years ago where she first made an impression on tour. This past January at the Australian Open, Mirra defeated Magdalena in three sets.
Matteo Arnaldi vs. Novak Djokovic (4) – Djokovic is a modest 12-6 this season, and is in the midst of his second losing streak of 2025. But he’s a three-time champion in Madrid, and Arnaldi is just 9-9 this year.
Ann Li vs. Coco Gauff (4) – Gauff survived a stern test on Thursday against Dayana Yastremska, eventually prevailing 7-5 in the third. On the same day, Li upset Leylah Fernandez. Coco defeated Ann three years ago on grass, in their only tour-level meeting.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (17) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff – Currently 18th in the world, this is the lowest Tsitsipas has been ranked in nearly seven years. Struff was a surprise finalist here in 2023, yet he’s just 4-11 this season at all levels, and came into this event on an eight-match losing streak. Stefanos narrowly leads their head-to-head 5-4.
Jack Draper (5) vs. Tallon Griekspoor – Draper sits in fourth place of the year-to-date rankings, but as per Tennis Abstract, he’s only 10-12 lifetime at tour level on clay. Griekspoor is a strong 17-9 this year, and has already won six matches this past month on this surface. Tallon claimed their only previous meeting, back in 2023, though that ended prematurely when Jack retired after the first set.
Donna Vekic (19) vs. Emma Navarro (11) – This is a rematch from last month at Indian Wells, where Vekic was victorious in straight sets, bringing her record against Navarro to 2-0. However, Donna is a subpar 6-10 this season, while Emma is 15-9.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
