Alexander Zverev will continue his bid for another Madrid title when he faces Jakub Mensuk during fourth-round competition on Tuesday. An all-unseeded showdown features Rafael Jodar and Vit Kopriva.
(23) Jakub Mensik vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Mensik will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in the last 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. This is without question one of Zverev’s favorite tournaments. The third-ranked German is 27-6 all time in Madrid with two titles (2018, 2021) and one runner-up finish (2022). He is one win from a return trip to the quarterfinals after disposing of Mariano Navone in three sets and Terence Atmane in straights.
When healthy, Mensik has been stellar this season. The 27th-ranked Czech is 17-6 following straight-set victories at the Caja Magica over Martin Damm and Karen Khachanov — the latter 13-11 in a second-set tiebreaker. However, this is Mensik’s first event of the clay-court swing because of an abdominal injury and he has not faced anyone in the top 15 since upsetting Jannik Sinner in Doha more than two months ago. This may be a bit too big of a step up in competition against a player who is nothing short of awesome at this particular tournament.
Pick: Zverev in 3
Vit Kopriva vs. (WC) Rafael Jodar
Jodar is taking Madrid by storm — and on his current trajectory, he may take the entire tennis world by storm sooner rather than later. At just 19 years old, the Spaniard is already up to No. 42 in the world and and 34th in the live rankings. That means he is in great shape to be seeded at Roland Garros; it also means this will surely be the last tournament for which he will require a wild card for a long, long time. Jodar, a recent ATP champion in Marrakech, has made the most of his wild-card entry with victories over Jesper de Jong, Alex de Minaur, and Joao Fonseca.
Up next for Jodar on Tuesday is a first-ever meeting with Kopriva, who is nine years older than his opponent but also making waves on the main tour for the first time in his career. The Czech has earned 13 of his 28 lifetime ATP-level match victories in 2026, including three this fortnight over Zhizhen Zhang, Andrey Rublev, and Arthur Rinderknech. What could really spell trouble for Kopriva is the occasional ease with which Jodar is beating the opposition. The teenager lost only four games against De Minaur, no more than six in his three Barcelona wins, and no more than seven in four of his five Marrakech matches.
Pick: Jodar in 2
WWW?
Jodar needs to be careful he burns out before the French
Hmmm. They get penalties for skipping Masters? Like Rome coming up? And of course they can’t just attend for a few practice matches and then play badly on purpose to get a week off before RG and lull the opponents into a false sense of security because that’s match throwing, right?
So either they fake a bad day well or they need a doctor’s certificate to get out of playing?
I don’t suppose Djokovic is getting penalties for not attending because he probably presents medical certificates for genuine niggles he’s dealing with. I wonder if you can get a medical certificate that says you need a break from exertion and stress.
That info about Mensik’s abs is false, he’d been dealing with a toe.
Zverev in 2, 7-6(5), 6-3
Jodar in 3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3