Main-draw action at the Madrid Masters gets underway on Wednesday, when Chris Eubanks goes up against Botic van de Zandschulp. Facundo Diaz Acosta and Denis Shapovalov are also taking the court in round one.
Botic van de Zandschulp vs. Chris Eubanks
Eubanks and Van de Zandschulp will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday. Their only previous meeting came earlier this season on the hard courts of Auckland, where Van de Zandschulp prevailed 7-6(5), 6-2.
Clay should give the 28-year-old Dutchman even more of an advantage. It is by far Eubanks’ worst surface, whereas Van de Zandschulp has to be considered an all-court player. Although Van de Zandschulp is in dreadful form at No. 115 in the rankings, Eubanks has not been any better since his grass-court run last summer that included a title in Mallorca and a quarterfinal showing at Wimbledon. Fast conditions in Madrid may give the 44th-ranked American a chance, but in the end he likely won’t be good enough on this surface.
Pick: Van de Zandschulp in 3
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Facundo Diaz Acosta vs. (PR) Denis Shapovalov
Not too much unlike Van de Zandschulp, Shapovalov is a guy who was once seeded at Grand Slams but is now well outside the top 100. Much of that has to do with injuries, but simple poor play is also a significant factor. The 25-year-old Canadian is a horrendous 4-10 on the main tour this season and heads into Wednesday’s showdown against Diaz Acosta on a three-match losing streak.
The 2024 campaign has been a completely different story for Diaz Acosta. Twelve of his 14 lifetime ATP-level match wins have come this season, which features a title in Buenos Aires and a quarterfinal performance last week in Barcelona (had two match points against Stefanos Tsitsipas). Of the 47th-ranked Spaniard’s 204 career victories across all levels, 181 have come on clay. Based on the surface and current form, Diaz Acosta should have the upper hand.
Pick: Diaz Acosta in 3
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