Felix Auger-Aliassime will make his 2023 clay-court debut on Saturday against Dusan Lajovic. Frances Tiafoe will also be in Madrid second-round action against recent Houston opponent Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
(7) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Dusan Lajovic
World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime is just coming back from a knee injury that kept him out of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Saturday’s match marks the Canadian’s first foray on clay this season. He has not been on the dirt since last year’s French Open, where he made the round of 16. Clay is Auger-Aliassime’s least successful surface by some margin. He has never won a clay-court title; his record on the surface is 31-28–just a touch over .500. By his normal standards, Auger-Aliassime has been a little off this year. His best result is a quarterfinal showing in Indian Wells in March.
World No. 40 Dusan Lajovic may have a good chance at an upset win in this one. Of note, Lajovic owns a surprising 2-0 head-to-head record over his higher-ranked opponent. The Serb won the second title of his entire career just last week in Banja Luka, where he posted his biggest-ever win over countryman Novak Djokovic. He also beat Andrey Rublev in the final last Sunday. While fatigue may eventually creep into his game, the “slow” start in Madrid–thanks to the decision to extend the tournament to 10 days–can only help Lajovic.
Cheryl pick: Lajovic in 2
Ricky pick: Lajovic in 3
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(9) Frances Tiafoe vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
If this match up looks familiar to you, it’s because American Frances Tiafoe and Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry just played a final in Houston–also on clay. Of course, it should be noted that the clay in Houston is a different beast than the clay that is found in European Masters events. And while that’s true, it should also be pointed out that Madrid, with its high elevation, plays much faster than most other clay tournaments.
Tiafoe won the Houston final in a tight pair of tiebreakers. The American didn’t fare as well in Barcelona. He lost his first match to Emil Ruusuvuori and hasn’t played since. So, at the very least, he should be well rested ahead of this week.
Etcheverry is ranked 59th in the world. Houston was his second final, and his second loss in a title match. He was also dispatched in the second round in Barcelona, although he didn’t get a bye like Tiafoe did–so he won a match there.
This is another opportunity for upset. Like most Americans, Tiafoe is his least successful on the dirt. He’s 25-31 lifetime–not exactly a convincing record. Still, the conditions in Madrid favor big-hitting players more than other clay events. Expect Tiafoe to just pull this one out.
Cheryl pick: Tiafoe in 3
Ricky pick: Tiafoe in 3
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