Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka clash in a compelling quarterfinal showdown at the Madrid Masters on Friday. Meanwhile, defending champion Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas meet in the battle of the young guns.
(2) Rafael Nadal vs. Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka has beaten Rafael Nadal on one of the biggest stages of tennis in the final of the Australian Open (2014). Yet despite that impressive victory, this has generally been an unkind matchup for the Swiss. The two men have already played 20 times already and Wawrinka has won just three of those encounters. He has lost four in a row to Nadal.
Nadal is still looking for the kind of devastating form that he has long enjoyed on his best surface. The Spaniard played uncharacteristically poor tennis to go down in the Monte-Carlo semis to Fabio Fognini. His form improved considerably at his home club in Barcelona, but he ran into a red-hot Dominic Thiem, who also dispatched him in the semis. Nadal has been solid this week, with a particularly strong showing in the third round against American Frances Tiafoe.
Wawrinka for his part has had a long, slow road to recovery. The three-time slam champion was ranked outside the top 100 as recently as last August, struggling to return to form after knee surgery. He made the final in Rotterdam earlier this season, which helped bump his ranking to No. 34 in the world.
Given Nadal’s performance at the tail end of Barcelona and so far this week, he will be the clear favorite. His last meeting with Wawrinka, an entertaining affair in a night match in Toronto, was closely contested. Nadal just squeaked out the win in a second-set ‘breaker. This could be a real treat of a match.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 2
Ricky pick: Nadal in 3
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(3) Alexander Zverev vs. (8) Stefanos Tsitsipas
The two top seeds in the third section of the draw face off in a NextGen quarterfinal showdown. Alexander Zverev will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the Madrid quarterfinals. Of the two players, Tsitispas is in slightly better form. The Greek captured his first clay court-title in Estoril last week and has a semifinal showing in Melbourne and another title in Marseille to show for his 2019 efforts.
Zverev has come up a bit short on dirt in 2019. Until this week, the German had won no more than a single match at the four clay-court events he entered. He has performed better this week, ousting David Ferrer and Hubert Hurkacz. Still, he hasn’t played anyone yet who is as in-form as Tsitsipas.
These two have split wins at one each. Zverev won their first encounter in Washington last year, while Tsitispas returned the favor in Toronto in a sloppy mess of a match. Zverev has the added benefit of being the defending champion in Madrid, a court that clearly suits his game.
Cheryl pick: Zverev in 3
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 2
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