Madrid R2 previews and predictions: Shelton vs. Machac, Dimitrov vs. Mensik

Grigor Dimitrov and Ben Shelton have drawn two of the toughest second-round tests at the Madrid Masters. Dimitrov will kick off his campaign on Saturday against Jakub Mensik, while Shelton faces Tomas Machac.

(9) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jakub Mensik

The 2024 season is off to an awesome start for Dimitrov, to the extent that he is back in the top 10 at 32 years old. Dimitrov is sporting a 22-6 record that includes a title in Brisbane and runner-up performances in Marseille and Miami. The Bulgarian has lost only once to an opponent ranked lower than No. 11 in the world so far this year.

Up first for Dimitrov at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday is Mensik, who has been one of the tour’s breakout stars in 2024. The 18-year-old Czech is already up to 74th in the rankings thanks in part to a runner-up showing in Doha and a second-round effort at the Australian Open as a qualifier. Nine of Mensik’s 12 lifetime main-tour match wins have come this season following a 6-4, 7-6(3) defeat of Yannick Hanfmann on Thursday. The entertainment factor should be high in this matchup, but Mensik is relatively inexperienced on clay and has to face one of the tour’s most in-form players.

Pick: Dimitrov in 2

Tomas Machac vs. (14) Ben Shelton

Shelton and Machac will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. This is another showdown between two guys who are incredibly confident at the moment. Shelton has soared to 15th in the world at just 21 years old primarily due to impressive success on the biggest stages in tennis. The American is also finding his footing on clay, having captured the Houston title earlier this month.

Machac’s season is highlighted by a quarterfinal run in Miami. The 50th-ranked Czech also advanced to the third round of the Aussie Open and successfully qualified in Brisbane and Dubai. Machac picked up his 12th main-draw victory of the year on Thursday by beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. It’s also worth noting that Machac has won 70 matches on clay across all levels throughout his career; Shelton has won 13. Fast conditions will help the former NCAA champion, but Machac is on an absolute roll right now and may be too tough from the baseline on clay.

Pick: Machac in 3