Madrid R3 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Shevchenko, Struff vs. Lajovic

Daniil Medvedev will take on fellow Russian Alexander Shevchenko for a spot in the round of 16 at the Madrid Masters on Monday. Jan-Lennard Struff will also be in action against Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic.

(2) Daniil Medvedev vs. (Q) Alexander Shevchenko

It’s not a surprise that world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia has never played Alexander Shevchenko before. Shevchenko has spent most of his time on the Challenger circuit. He sits at a career high No. 96 in the world thanks to a recent run of success at the Phoenix and Madrid Challengers. He won a tour-level match last week in Barcelona, but more impressively he posted straight-set wins at the Mutua Madrid Open over JJ Wolf and Jiri Lehecka to earn his spot in the third round.

Medvedev has played pretty well on clay this year. The Russian has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t enjoy playing on clay. In 2020 he did not win any matches on the surface and he frequently comes up short on European clay in the leadup to Roland Garros. This year, however, he has made a few adjustments to his game and he has been in better form. He advanced to the quarters in Monte-Carlo and has a decent shot to do so this week, as well.

While Shevchenko is on his way up, he is unlikely to have enough to take out a player of Medvedev’s caliber.

Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 2

Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2

(LL) Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Dusan Lajovic

Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff has been on a tear recently. The world No. 65 came out of nowhere to make the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo a couple weeks ago. His ranking was low enough that he came up through qualies in the principality, upsetting both Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud on the way. Struff went through qualies in Madrid, too, but he lost in the final round before gaining access to the main draw as a lucky loser.

If anything, Dusan Lajovic is on an even hotter run than Struff. The Serb won the event last week in Banja Luka, with a massive upset win over countryman Novak Djokovic and a surprise defeat of Andrey Rublev in the final. Lajovic also had an upset victory this week, over Felix Auger-Aliassime, although he had to work hard for it.

Given the form both players are in, this could be one of the better matches on the docket on Monday. Struff seems to have Lajovic’s number, however, winning all three of their previous encounters. Expect this one to go the distance.

Cheryl pick: Struff in 3

Ricky pick: Lajovic in 3