Saturday features the completion of the second round in men’s singles, and the beginning of the third round in women’s singles.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have combined to win this tournament in four of the last five years. Sabalenka arrives as the clear World No.1, and as a favorite to win here again, as she’s claimed four of her last eight WTA 1000 events. By contrast, Swiatek hasn’t won a WTA title since last summer. But how will Iga fare under the guidance of her new coach Francisco Roig, a long-time confidant of Rafael Nadal?
On the men’s side, 2025 champion Casper Ruud begins his title defense on Saturday. Yet he is just 9-8 on the year, and he could drop out of the world’s top 25 with an early loss. Second-seeded Alexander Zverev won this title back in 2018, and in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, the draw is open for the German to reach his first Masters 1000 final since 2024. Zverev also makes his 2026 Madrid Open debut on Saturday.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Saturday (in chronological order, all times local):
Jaume Munar vs. Casper Ruud (12) – Second on Manolo Santana Stadium
Ruud’s triumph here a year ago remains his only Masters 1000 title, and since last season’s clay court season, he hasn’t returned to a quarterfinal at this level. Munar is a 28-year-old Spaniard who reached the second week of a Major for the first time just last year in New York, but this is his first tournament in over two months, as he’s been battling a right arm injury. Ruud leads their head-to-head 7-1, which includes a straight-set victory earlier this season at the Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek (4) vs. Ann Li (31) – Third on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium
Swiatek is a modest 14-7 during 2026, and has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals at a WTA event all year. Despite her years of clay court dominance, Iga now hasn’t won a title on this surface in nearly two years. This is her first meeting with Li, a 25-year-old American who recently achieved a career-high ranking of No.33 after claiming the second WTA title of her career.
Mariano Navone vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Zverev is 21-7 this season, but his record of 0-6 in his last six ATP semifinals is a bit alarming, though five of those losses came against either Sinner or Alcaraz. Navone is a 25-year-old from Argentina who has been red-hot on red clay of late, winning a Challenger title last month, and an ATP title earlier this month. However, he is 0-6 in this round of Masters tournaments, and he’s never before faced Zverev.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jaqueline Cristian (29) – Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Sabalenka is a tremendous 24-1 during 2026, and hasn’t lost a match since January’s Australian Open final. She also hasn’t lost a match to anyone not named Rybakina since October. Just last month in Indian Wells, she comfortably defeated Cristian 6-4, 6-1.
Alexander Bublik (8) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas – Last on Manolo Santana Stadium
From June to January, Bublik went on quite a tear, winning five titles across three surfaces. But he’s now lost six of his last 10 matches, which includes a pair of losses to players ranked outside the top 100. Tsitsipas has struggled to regain his form since a back injury drastically impacted his results last season, and is now ranked at No.80. He required three sets and nearly three hours to win in the first round on Thursday, against a lucky loser. While Tsitsipas is 2-0 against Bublik, both of those matches took place back in 2020.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
