Holger Rune came back from one set and a break down to beat Mariano Navone 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in a hard-fought match at the Madrid Mutua Open. 

Rune was just two points from defeat at 5-7 5-6 in the second set. Navone hit two double faults before Rune converted on his break point to level forcing the second set to the tie-break. Rune went up a 5-1 lead in the third and fifth games. Navone won three games to close the gap to 4-5. Rune saved a break point to hold serve before sealing the win on his fifth match point after 2 hours and 59 minutes. 

Rune set up a third round match against Tallon Griekspoor, who came back from one set down to beat Taro Daniel 4-6 6-3 6-4. Navone reached two ATP Tour finals in Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest. 

Alexander Zverev did not face a break point in in his 6-3 6-2 win over Borna Coric. Zverev has improved to 4-3 in his seven head-to-head matches against Coric. 

Coric saved three break points to hold serve at deuce in the fifth game of the first set before breaking serve in the seventh and ninth games to win the first set 6-3. The German player broke twice in the sixth and eighth games to win the second set 6-2. “I played quite well today. I feel well. With him it can always go both ways. He is extremely dangerous and a tough competitor. Historically someone I don’t like playing, but I am happy today, winning in straight sets and happy to be in the next round”, said Zverev. 

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka edged past Magda Linette 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the second round of the Madrid Mutua Open. 

Sabalenka started the match with a break in the third game of the opening set to take a 2-1 lead. 

Linette broke to love in the fourth game and consolidated to take a 4-1 lead. The Polish player earned three break points in the sixth game. She did not convert them, but she served out the second set with a hold at 30 forcing the match to the third set. 

Sabalenka saved two break points in the first game of the third set and and another chance in the seventh game to stay on serve. 

Sabalenka earned her fifth break point in the first game of the third set with a powerful forehand return at 30 and converted it with a net cord winner to take a 5-3 lead. Sabalenka hit an ace to wrap up the match after 2 hours and 9 minutes setting up a third round match against either Katie Boulter or Robin Montgomery. 

“It’s not about being confident. It’s about how much you are ready to do to get it. It’s about the hard work and to be ready for the big fights. I feel like confidence is not going to help you in those big matches. It’s about staying there and fighting for it”, said Sabalenka. 

World number 4 Elina Rybakina beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4 6-3. Rybakina earned an early break in the second game of the first set. Bronzetti broke straight back in the third game and held serve at love to draw level to 2-2. Rybakina broke in the 10^thgame to take a 6-4. After a trade of breaks in the first two games of the second set Rybakina broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. The Kazakh player saved two break points to hold serve after two deuces and served out on her first match point. 

Rybakina will face a third round match against Mayar Sherif, who Marta Kostyuk 6-2 7-5. 

Rybakina leads the tour with three titles, 27 match wins and 5 titles (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart)

Andrey Rublev beat Facundo Bagnis 6-1 6-4 after 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the third round at the Madrid Mutua Open. Rublev stopped his four match-losing streak. 

Rublev hit 24 winners and committed 10 unforced errors to improve his head-to-head record to 2-0 against Bagnis. 

Rublev broke serve in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Bagnis saved two break points to hold serve after seven deuces. Rublev broke for the second time in the sixth game and served out the first set with a hold at 30. 

Rublev converted his second break point in the first game of the second set. Bagnis broke straight back in the second game to draw level to 1-1. The Argentine player saved three break points to hold serve after four deuces. Rublev broke serve in the seventh game and held serve at 15 to take a 5-3 lead. The 2023 Monte-Carlo champion served out the win on his second match point. 

Rublev won his only title in Hong Kong and reached the quarter finals at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Doha, the semifinal in Dubai, but he lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Round of 32 in Indian Wells to Tomas Machac in the Round of 64 at the Miami Open, to Alexei Popyrin in the Round of 32 in Monte-Carlo and to Brandon Nakashima in the Round of 32 in Barcelona. 

“It feels really great after a while with a win and I am happy with my performance. I think I played a good match, for the first round especially being in completely in different conditions compared to other tournaments, and I played at a good level. This week I started to feel that I am more relaxed. I was practising well and the mood was different since I arrived since I arrived here. That’s why I had the feeling I should win one match at least”, said Rublev.   

Rublev set up a third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Chinese Next Gen player Shang Juncheng 7-5 6-3. 

Thiago Seyboth Wild beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-4. The Brazilian player defeated Danil Medvedev at last year’s edition of Roland Garros.  

Seyboth Wild saved two break points in the fourth game before converting his third break point in the fifth game to win the first set 6-4. Seyboth Wild dropped just one point in his three service games. 

Musetti saved a break point in the first game of the second set. Seyboth Wild saved a break point in the eighth game before earning a break in the ninth game. Musetti did not convert a break point as he hit a forehand into the net before Seyboth Wild sealed the win on his second match point.

Tommy Paul came back from one set down to beat Lukas Klein 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4. Paul is playing in his first tournament of the season after missing Monte-Carlo due to injury. 

The first set went on serve en route to the tie-break. Paul went up a mini-break twice in the tie-break, but Klein pulled back on serve both times. Klein earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break 7-5. 

Paul saved five break points in the third game of the second set. The 2023 Australian Open semifinalist won the final five games with two breaks of serve to win the second set 6-1. 

Klein earned two break points in the second game of the third set. Paul earned the decisive break in the fifth game and sealed the win on his first match point. 

Paul set up a match against Francisco Cerundolo, who beat Hungary’s Fabian Maroszan 6-2 7-6 (7-5).