First-round action at the Madrid Masters is wrapping up on Thursday, when Tomas Machac takes the court against Emil Ruusuvuori. Lorenzo Sonego and Richard Gasquet will battle for the right to face Jannik Sinner in round two.
Tomas Machac vs. Emil Ruusuvuori
Machac’s career has been short and the 2024 campaign is still in its relatively early stages, but he is enjoying by far his best season on tour. The 23-year-old Czech is 11-6 at the ATP level and has climbed to 50th in the rankings. His results include a third-round performance at the Australian Open, a quarterfinal run in Miami, and successful qualification in both Brisbane and Dubai.
Up first for Machac at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday is Ruusuvuori, who lost their only previous encounter 6-3, 6-3 this past fall on the indoor hard courts of Vienna (in qualifying). The 71st-ranked Finn will be hard pressed to turn the tide given Machac’s hot streak and his own struggles. Ruusuvuori is on a three-match losing streak and has not found the winners’ circle since reaching the Doha quarterfinals in February. Add in the fact that Ruusuvuori’s record is horrible on clay (45-49 all time across all levels) and Machac has every reason to win this one.
Pick: Machac in 2
(Q) Richard Gasquet vs. Lorenzo Sonego
Sonego and Gasquet will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the first time in six years when they meet again on Thursday. They previously faced each other twice in 2018; Gasquet cruised 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 at the Australian Open before Sonego scored a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory on the red clay of Budapest.
Gasquet did well to qualify for the Madrid main draw with defeats of Stefano Napolitano and Duje Ajdukovic, but this season has otherwise been rough for the 37-year-old Frenchman. He has won only two main-draw matches at the ATP level, beating Alexander Shevchenko in Doha and a struggling Dominic Thiem in Estoril. Although Sonego is just 6-12 in 2024, he has won a main-draw match in four of his last six events. Two qualifying wins may help Gasquet get off to a strong start, but the 52nd-ranked Italian is the far superior player at this point in their respective careers.
Pick: Sonego in 3
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