Holger Rune kicks off his Madrid Open bid against Alexander Bublik, looking for his first Masters 1000 title of the season. Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut will also be in second-round action against Quentin Halys on Friday.
(6) Holger Rune vs. Alexander Bublik
Denmark’s Holger Rune has been one of the top players of the 2023 season. The Dane had an excellent tournament in Monte-Carlo a couple weeks ago. He made the final and had eventual champion Andrey Rublev on the ropes in the third set before he ran out of gas. Rune went from Monte-Carlo immediately to Munich, where he won the event in a wild final against Botic van de Zandschulp.
Alexander Bublik hasn’t had anywhere near the kind of success that his Friday opponent has enjoyed. The world No. 55 crashed out of his last two events in the first round, including an ouster at the hands of Alexander Zverev in Monte-Carlo. Bublik won his only previous match with Rune, but that was just before the current world No. 7 went on his end-of-season tear–winning two titles and making two other finals.
Fatigue has historically been an issue for Rune, and it’s likely to be a factor at some point this week in Madrid. Still, with Bublik’s form in the basement this one should go to the No. 6 seed.
Cheryl pick: Rune in 2
Ricky pick: Rune in 2
(20) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Quentin Halys
This is a tricky first match for Roberto Bautista Agut. Quentin Halys has come on strong lately; he made the round of 16 in Miami and the semis in Estoril. The Frenchman did suffer a first-round loss last week in Munich, but that just might mean that he is well rested for Madrid. Bautista Agut has limped through the 2023 season with a losing record so far.
Bautista Agut is 10-11 on the season. He had a decent enough January, during which he made the final in Adelaide and the round of 16 at the Australian Open. But he has posted just three match wins in eight tournament appearances. Certainly he will have the support of the Spanish crowd, but he is in danger of dropping this one.
Halys has not traditionally been successful on clay, but his good form seems to be changing that. Expect Bautista Agut to fight hard, but this one may be an unsurprising “upset.”
Cheryl pick: Halys in 3
Ricky pick: Halys in 3
WWW?
RBA in 3
Rune in 2
(standing with my bracket choices)
I have RBA in a close three.Rune in two
I am only watching the scores, and Carlito lost the first set to Emil.
It looks like Charlie is having a hard time holding serve! He made it, but securing the game for the Spaniard was tough. It seems Emil has the momentum.
Just a bad Patch, I think. Charlie will win the second set.
Rune in 3; RBA in 2.