Wednesday features quarterfinal play in both the ATP and WTA singles draws.
On Tuesday afternoon, Carlos Alcaraz survived a dramatic affair against Jan-Lennard Struff, which lasted nearly three hours. Just 24 hours later, he will return to Manolo Santana Stadium to play Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Wednesday’s other ATP singles quarterfinal sees Taylor Fritz take on Francisco Cerundolo.
The WTA quarterfinals on Wednesday feature two of the top seeds against unseeded opponents. Recent Stuttgart champion Elena Rybakina plays Yulia Putintseva, whiletwo-time Madrid champ Aryna Sabalenka faces 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 12:00pm local time.
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Alcaraz has now won 14 consecutive matches in Madrid, after outlasting Jan-Lennard Struff in a third-set tiebreak. Tuesday’s fourth round contest was extremely draining both physically and emotionally, and Carlitos came into this tournament with a right arm injury that forced him to withdraw from both Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Rublev arrived in Spain’s capital on a four-match losing streak, yet has won all six sets he’s played this fortnight. On Tuesday, he spent nearly two hours less on court than Alcaraz, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-4. Andrey is vying for his first semifinal in Madrid, and his first at Masters 1000 level of the year.
They have only played once before, less than six months ago at the ATP Finals, where Alcaraz prevailed 7-5, 6-2. While Carlitos feels vulnerable on Wednesday, I still give him the edge over an opponent who has been lacking in confidence, especially in Carlitos’ home country.
Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
On Monday, Sabalenka picked up her biggest win in quite a while, ending the 15-match win streak of Danielle Collins, despite dropping the first set to the red-hot American. All three of Aryna’s victories this fortnight have come in three sets, as she fights to get back into top form. She is now 15-3 lifetime in Madrid, and the previous two times she’s advanced out of her opening round match, she’s won this tournament.
Andreeva’s breakthrough at tour level took place at this very event a year ago, when she beat three top 50 players to reach the fourth round. A year later, the recently-turned 17-year-old has now advanced a round further, defeating three seeded players along the way. That includes reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, as well as recent Dubai champ Jasmine Paolini.
And in 2023, it was Sabalenka who ended Andreeva’s run here in Madrid, with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory. That remains their only head-to-head matchup to date. I expect a much closer score line on Wednesday, considering Aryna’s struggles after the death of her ex-boyfriend. However, I also expect the same result: a Sabalenka victory. She just possesses so much more power than Andreeva, which is rewarded by the altitude in Madrid.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Yulia Putintseva vs. Elena Rybakina (4) – Rybakina has not dropped a set through three matches, while her fellow countrywoman Putintseva has upset two top 10 seeds to reach this quarterfinal (Zheng, Kasatkina). And Yulia is 2-0 against against Elena, though they haven’t played in over three years.
Taylor Fritz (12) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (21) – Fritz took out eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz on Tuesday. Cerundolo ousted the fourth seed, Sascha Zverev, on the same day. Francisco claimed their only prior encounter in four sets, which took place a year ago at Roland Garros.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
