Andrey Rublev’s red-hot form will be put to the test when he runs into John Isner in the Madrid Masters third round on Thursday. Past champion Alexander Zverev will also try to book a quarterfinal spot at the expense of Dan Evans.
John Isner vs. (6) Andrey Rublev
Rublev and Isner will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers when they clash in round three of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2015 Miami Masters, where Isner cruised 6-4, 6-3. Of course, Rublev is an entirely different player at 23 years old compared to 16. The Russian is up to No. 7 in the rankings and has arguably been the third best player in the world dating back to the start of 2020. Rublev is 27-6 this season, although he has cooled off a bit since losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of last month’s Monte-Carlo Masters.
Isner has played sparingly of late, but he has shaken off the rust with a pair of Madrid victories over Miomir Kecmanovic and Roberto Bautista Agut–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker from match point down. It is no surprise that the 6’11” American is performing well in these high-altitude conditions, as he serve is absolutely rocketing through the air and balls are bouncing high right into his strike zone. This is also a favorable matchup for Isner, because Rublev’s main weakness is his second serve and Isner is never afraid to punish returns in an effort to keep points short.
Pick: Isner in 3
Dan Evans vs. (5) Alexander Zverev
The story is a similar one in Zverev vs. Evans. Although Evans in in surprisingly great form on clay this spring, conditions in Madrid are perfect for Zverev. The sixth-ranked German has made three previous appearances at this tournament and boasts one title (2018) plus a pair of quarterfinal results on his resume. Following an opening-round bye this week, Zverev trounced Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday.
Clay has always been by far Evans’ worst surface, but it is all turning around for him in 2021. The 26th-ranked Brit made a run to the Monte-Carlo semifinals and his only straight-set loss in three clay-court events has come to Stefanos Tsitispas (the other two were at the hands of Lorenzo Musetti in a third-set ‘breaker and Corentin Moutet after three hours and 10 minutes). Speaking of three-setters, Evans has gone the distance with both Jeremy Chardy and John Millman so far in Madrid. Those aren’t necessarily bad results, but they also don’t bode well for a steep step up in competition against Zverev–especially not in these conditions.
Pick: Zverev in 2
WWW?
Rublev in 2
Zverev in 3