Nadal has been dealing with a stomach virus for the past several days, which limited his practice schedule. He also made mention yesterday of having dealt with many issues over the past 18 months, some of which he has not spoken about in the press. All eyes will be on the King of Clay, who uncharacteristically lost in both Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Felix Auger Aliassime
And on the other side of the court will be an impressive 18-year-old who already has 10 clay court wins this season. Auger Aliassime had no trouble taking out his more accomplished close friend, Denis Shapovalov, in the first round on Sunday. This will be Felix’s first time playing Nadal, and only his second meeting with a top five player. The first came just a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo, when Sascha Zverev won easily in straight sets. Is young Felix ready to take out the all-time great in his home country, and on his precious terra baute? That’s hard to imagine, but if it was ever going to happen, now may be the time against a physically-depleted Nadal. Of course Rafa is still the favorite despite his illness, but let’s see just how ready he is to compete for his sixth title in Madrid.
Petra Kvitova (2) vs. Caroline Garcia
In the 10 years this event has been played on clay, Kvitova is the only woman to win this title three times. The defending champion thrives at the higher altitude. Garcia is a tough round of 16 draw for Petra, as they’ve split six previous meetings. All of those matches have been decided on hard courts. They most recently played just a few weeks ago in Miami, when Kvitova won another round of 16 match in straight sets. Garcia’s last victory came in October of 2017 in Beijing, when the 25-year-old Frenchwoman was on the best run of her career to close out that year. She’s yet to duplicate those results, and came into Madrid with a losing record on the year. Though considering all her talent, it seems only a matter of time before Garcia is headed back towards the top 10. She could be a tough out for Kvitova today, but Petra has been the best player on tour in 2019, and should get through to the quarterfinals.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday in Madrid:
- In what could be the final match of his career, David Ferrer (WC) vs. Sascha Zverev (3). Just six weeks ago in Miami, Ferrer upset Zverev in three sets.
- Juan Martin Del Potro (7) plays only his fourth singles match since October and faces a tough challenge in 23-year-old Laslo Djere, who already won a clay court title earlier this year.
- Naomi Osaka (1) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Osaka has won both previous meetings in straight sets.
- Simona Halep (3) vs. 20-year-old Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.
- Kiki Bertens (7), a finalist here last year, vs. Anastasija Sevastova (12). This is the third straight year they’ve played in Madrid, and they’ve never played anywhere else. They split those two matches.
- Stan Wawrinka vs. Guido Pella. Pella already has 20 clay court wins this season, and won the title in Sao Paulo.
