The entire fourth round of the Madrid Masters will be played on Tuesday, when Hubert Hurkacz takes the court against Taylor Fritz. Alexander Zverev and Francisco Cerundolo are also bidding for a spot in the quarterfinals.
(8) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (12) Taylor Fritz
Clay may not be Hurkacz’s favorite surface, but he is still very comfortable on it and the fast conditions at the Mutua Madrid Open are perfect for his game. It’s no surprise that the ninth-ranked Pole finds himself in the fourth round, which he reached by beating Jack Draper and Daniel Altmaier in straight sets. Hurkacz is now 8-1 on clay this spring, which includes a title in Estoril and third-round performance in Monte-Carlo (lost to eventual runner-up Casper Ruud).
Up next for the No. 8 seed on Tuesday is a fourth meeting with Fritz, who leads the head-to-head series 2-1. After splitting a pair of 2019 encounters, Fritz prevailed 7-6(5), 7-6(5) at the 2023 United Cup. The 13th-ranked American’s dirt season has been a mixed bag so far, with a 6-4, 6-4 Monte-Carlo first-round loss to Lorenzo Musetti followed by a runner-up effort in Munich and Madrid victories over Luciano Darderi and Sebastian Baez. Like Hurkacz, Frits is good on clay even if it isn’t his surface of choice. This should be a fun one, but conditions are ideal for Hurkacz and you almost always have to give him the edge if sets are being decided in tiebreakers.
Pick: Hurkacz in 2
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(21) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Cerundolo will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. Similar to Hurkacz, Zverev absolutely loves the fast, high-bouncing conditions at this Masters 1000 tournament. The fifth-ranked German is already a three-time finalist in Madrid, with titles in 2018 and 2021 plus a runner-up showing in 2022. Zverev is an amazing 23-4 lifetime at this event following straight-set defeats of Borna Coric and Denis Shapovalov.
Cerundolo is rounding into form nicely following a rough first two months of the year. The 22nd-ranked Argentine has won at least one match in seven of his last eight tournaments, including two this fortnight at the expense of Fabian Marozsan and Tommy Paul. Still, Cerundolo has not defeated anyone ranked higher than No. 16 (Paul) in 2024 and now he has to face an opponent who likes Madrid perhaps more than any other place on tour.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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