Madrid R3 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Querrey, Djokovic vs. Bautista Agut

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be part of a jam-packed Thursday schedule in Madrid, but they still have a long way to go before a potential final showdown. They are set for respective third-round meetings with Sam Querrey and Roberto Bautista Agut.

(5) Rafael Nadal vs. Sam Querrey

Nadal and Querrey will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. Although Nadal is a perfect 3-0 lifetime, Querrey has managed to be competitive on every occasion. The American lost 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3 10 years ago in Cincinnati, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-3 at the 2008 U.S. Open, and 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 a few weeks later in a Davis Cup showdown on the clay courts of Spain.

Fast forward eight seasons and Querrey will be hard-pressed to make the proceedings so interesting this time around. The world No. 37 has never really taken off since being hit with lofty expectations early in his career–around the time he was busy giving Nadal some trouble. Querrey is, however, enjoying a stellar 2016 campaign. He captured a title in Delray Beach and sports a 16-7 record following three-set wins this week over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Lucas Pouille. Nadal is aiming for his third straight winner’s trophy during this clay-court swing and his fifth title in Madrid. The fifth-ranked Spaniard, who also has a chance to steal a top-four seed at Roland Garros, got off to a strong start on Tuesday by blitzing Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday. Querrey has the big serve-and-forehand combination that can keep Nadal on his heels, but the underdog has spent almost four hours on the match court through two rounds and–even in Madrid–would much rather contest this one on grass or a lightning-fast hard court.

Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 7 games or fewer

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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (15) Roberto Bautista Agut

Djokovic and Bautista Agut will also be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers on Thursday. All three of their previous encounters have gone the way of Djokovic, who won mostly straightforward affairs in Dubai in 2013 and 2014. A much more entertaining and high-quality contest saw Bautista Agut snag a set at last summer’s U.S. Open before going down 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 17th-ranked Spaniard is the midst of his best season on tour, even though he has cooled off a bit over the past few months. Bautista Agut, who owns 2016 titles in Auckland and Sofia, improved to 21-8 by outlasting compatriot Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 on Tuesday.

Djokovic’s only loss not by retirement this year came at the start of this clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo, where he dropped his opener in shocking fashion to Jiri Vesely 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Still, the world No. 1 is 29-2 (he retired to Feliciano Lopez in Dubai because of an eye infection) with four titles–including at the Australian Open. Djokovic bounced back from his setback against Vesely by taking care of Borna Coric 6-2, 6-3 in the Madrid second round on Wednesday afternoon. With the top seed back on track and Bautista Agut merely searching for the form that was on display in January and February, there is no need to sound the upset alert.

Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing more than 8 games

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