Ruud, Medvedev and Mensik also advance as action heats up in Spanish capital
Alexander Zverev made a statement of intent on Friday as he began his bid for a third Mutua Madrid Open crown with an emphatic second-round victory over Roberto Bautista Agut. The German, seeded No. 1, cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win, extending his current winning streak to six matches following his title triumph in Munich.
Zverev, champion in Madrid in 2018 and 2021, needed just 69 minutes to dispatch the Spanish veteran. Dominating on serve and from the baseline, he won 81% of his first-serve points and struck an impressive 32 winners compared to just four from Bautista Agut.
“[It was] a good match, I knew I had to focus against Roberto,” said Zverev, who improved to a 24-5 career record in Madrid. “This is my favourite centre court in the world — I’ve only lost twice here in my life. Hopefully, that doesn’t change over the next 10 days.”
Zverev will next face either Nuno Borges or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round.
Other Highlights from Day 5 in Madrid:
Casper Ruud, eager to climb back into the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings, started his campaign with a confident 6-3, 6-4 win over France’s Arthur Rinderknech. The Norwegian, currently 14th in the live rankings, now holds a 4-0 record against Rinderknech in their Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.
Daniil Medvedev advanced without hitting a ball after Laslo Djere withdrew due to a left shoulder injury. Medvedev will now face Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who upset last year’s finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(5), 6-4. The loss saw Auger-Aliassime drop seven places to No. 26 in the live rankings.
19-year-old Czech sensation Jakub Mensik added to his growing reputation with a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over American qualifier Ethan Quinn. The #NextGenATP star fired 14 aces in 80 minutes and now awaits a third-round clash with either Ben Shelton or Mariano Navone. Mensik currently sits ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Argentina also had plenty to celebrate as Francisco Comesana and Francisco Cerundolo both reached the third round. Comesana produced a remarkable comeback from 1-5 down in the first set to defeat 13th seed Arthur Fils 7-6(4), 6-4, while Cerundolo saw off qualifier Harold Mayot 6-3, 6-4 to set up an all-Argentine showdown.
As the clay-court swing rolls on toward Rome and Roland Garros, every point now carries major seeding implications in the PIF ATP Live Rankings — and the action in Madrid is only just heating up.
