Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen earned his first ATP Masters 1000 win on Thursday when he overcame Austrian qualifier Jurij Rodionov 7-6(6), 6-4 at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 26-year-old, who is making his debut in Madrid, rallied from a break down in the first set and saved one set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break to move ahead. He then struck 12 winners in the second set and earned the decisive break in the fifth game to advance after one hour and 33 minutes.

With his first tour-level win of the season, Zhang has climbed four spots to No. 95 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Last year, he became the first Chinese man to crack the world’s Top 100, before he reached a career-high No. 91 in February. Zhang will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the second round.

In other action, Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori earned the biggest win of his career, overcoming two-time Madrid champion Andy Murray 6-2, 7-6(7) to reach the second round.

Vavassaori serve and volleyed throughout the one-hour, 33-minute clash, winning 76 per cent (13/17) of net points. The 27-year-old squandered a break advantage in the second set, but held his nerve in the tie-break to earn his first ATP Masters 1000 win on his fifth match point.

“It is a dream come true,” Vavassori said. “To play at a tournament like this, in a court like this against a true champion like him. I have followed his whole career. He is a hero for everybody on the Tour. I think until the second half of the second set, I played the best tennis of my life. Then the nerves came in, but at the end, just joy.”

The 27-year-old, who is up 23 spots to No. 141 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next face World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. Vavassori’s biggest win prior to his victory against World No. 52 Murray was against then-World No. 59 Nicolas Jarry in Marrakech.

German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff downed Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-1 to earn his fourth Top 50 clay-court win of the season. The World No. 65, who reached the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo earlier this month, next plays #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton.

_{^{Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}
Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki defeated Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-3, while Cristian Garin overcame Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-6(5), 6-2. Pedro Cachin defeated Jordan wild card Abdullah Shelbayh 6-1, 6-4 and Marcos Giron moved past Nuno Borges 6-2, 7-6(7).

“It’s going to be way different from two years ago.”

Emil Ruusuvuori is aware of the improvements in World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz’s game since the pair’s sole previous ATP Head2Head meeting in 2021. That match in Miami is nonetheless a source of confidence for the Finn as he prepares to take on the defending champion, top seed and home favourite on Friday in the second round at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“It was a super tight match.” Ruusuvuori told ATPTour.com when asked about his memories of his 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win against Alcaraz in Florida two years ago. “I just remember at key moments I was able to play the best shots of the match and kind of take the energy from there and carry it on until the end of the match.”

What were the standout attributes of the 2021 version of Alcaraz, according to Ruusuvuori?

“His speed, overall. I think,” said Ruusuvuori. “From the body and from the shots he could hurt you with. Now, he can pretty much do anything from any court position he is in. He’s coming in [to the net] great, super-fast defence, and even the serve has improved. There’s not too much you can actually pick on. Overall, you just have to have the game solid, and at the best possible quality.”

The Finn found a way to overcome the Spaniard that day in Miami, and he will take to Manolo Santana Stadium on Friday full of confidence after some strong recent ATP Masters 1000 performances. Ruusuvuori won six matches in March across the ‘Sunshine Double’ of Indian Wells and Mami, a tally which included a run to his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final at the latter.

“At the very beginning of the year I wasn’t playing the best tennis, but then in Indian Wells I started to pick it up,” said Ruusuvuori, who is now 14-11 for the year after downing Ugo Humbert in the Madrid first round on Wednesday. “I was able to just show the best that I can, and the results were coming.

“I was very close in Indian Wells against Zverev [in the third round] and in Miami I was very good, so for sure it gives that extra boost. Now I’m playing well here, and I get to go on centre court against Carlos, so it’s going to be a fun one I think.”

The World No. 41 Ruusuvuori possesses some of the cleanest groundstrokes, off both wings, on Tour. The 24-year-old hopes the faster conditions in Madrid compared to many other clay-court events on the circuit offer him an advantage as he attempts to upset the No. 2-ranked Alcaraz.

“I wasn’t able to practise on the court I played on today [against Humbert] and I was surprised at how fast it actually was,” said Ruusuvuori, who is playing in the main draw in the Spanish capital for the first time. “Serving was key. It was very difficult to return if the other guy was serving well.

“I think that’s something I have to try to do against Carlos. I mean, you have to do everything right, but especially serve. If you can get some free points, that is the key.”

Even if Ruusuvuori does bring his very best to the Caja Magica on Friday, however, he knows it will still be a tall order to become just the third player to beat Alcaraz in a tour-level match this season. For the Finn, that makes the occasion only more special.

“We know how much he has improved,” said Ruusuvuori, who picked up some more recent first-hand experience of Alcaraz’s level when the pair practised together during the 2022-23 offseason in Alicante. “He was around No. 100 [in 2021] and now he has been No. 1, won a Grand Slam and won pretty much everything already.

“So we know how much he has improved and how good of a player he is, but it’s going to be a nice one. I’ve never played on this centre court against probably the best player on the planet at the moment. I’m just going to go out there free and try to play the best tennis and enjoy this match. In the end, that’s why we are here.”

Dominic Thiem continued his impressive record at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday when he moved past Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-1 to set up a second-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The former World No. 3 has reached at least the semi-finals in four of his past five appearances in the Spanish capital and he looked in control throughout his first-round clash against Edmund.

Thiem struggled at the start of 2023, with his first-round defeat in Miami last month marking his ninth loss in 10 matches to that point in the season. However, he has begun to find form on the European clay, a surface he has won 10 of his 17 tour-level titles on.

Last month, the Austrian advanced to quarter-finals at ATP 250 clay-court events in Estoril and Munich, and reached the second round in Monte-Carlo to earn his first ATP Masters 1000 win since 2021. With his win against Edmund, he improved to 6-3 on the European clay-court season.

The Austrian won 86 per cent (24/28) of his first-serve points and remained strong under pressure, saving all four break points he faced to advance after 84 minutes and improve to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against the 28-year-old Edmund.

“It was not easy in the beginning. First match on the centre court and I was mainly practising outside, so it is a different feeling,” Thiem said. “I have known Kyle since we were juniors. He has been a tough opponent since the young days, so I went in with a lot of respect. I had some crucial moments in the first set when I saved the break points and then I released a little bit and it got better and better.”

Bringing the heat 🔥 off both sides!@domithiem numbers on the rise📈

Today vs Indian Wells;

🆙 2.7 mph avg. Fh speed to 78.3 mph
🆙 264 rpm avg. Fh Topspin to 3099 rpm#TennisInsights | @atptour | @MutuaMadridOpen pic.twitter.com/xlsfJ7UaCq

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) April 27, 2023

With his victory, Thiem improved to 17-7 at the clay-court tournament, while he has climbed two spots to No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“I love this court, I have great memories and played some great matches here,” Thiem said. “Results wise this is my best [ATP] Masters 1000 tournament by far, so it is time to work on that reputation. Once I was a very tough guy to beat on clay and it is not the case right now, but I am feeling that I am getting better and back to shape.”

Thiem will next play fourth seed Tsitsipas. The Austrian leads the Greek 5-3 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“I am looking forward to that one a lot,” Thiem said when asked about facing Tsitsipas. “I like him a lot. He is an unbelievable player, I like watching his matches. He is very elegant. We’ve had some great matchups.”

In other action, Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry downed Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0, while Roman Safiullin defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Etcheverry next meets Frances Tiafoe and Safiullin plays Tommy Paul.

Matteo Arnaldi will not soon forget his first ATP Masters 1000 win. The 22-year-old Italian saved a match point en route to a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory against Frenchman Benoit Paire on Wednesday in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open to earn a clash with third seed Casper Ruud.

The match featured several momentum changes. Paire served for victory at 5-4 in the third set, then trailed 1/5 in the tie-break before he earned match point at 6/5. But Arnaldi, who competed in last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, remained calm to triumph after two hours in front of a raucous crowd on Court 6.

The recent Murcia ATP Challenger Tour champion saved the match point he faced when Paire, who had won five consecutive points, missed a return. Arnaldi then capitalised on his first match point at 7/6 when Paire served and volleyed. The Frenchman slid into a forehand drop volley, but missed it wide. The pair shared an extended hug at the net.

Arnaldi faced a Top 10 opponent for the first time earlier this year in Dubai, where eventual champion Daniil Medvedev eliminated the Italian straight sets. The 22-year-old will try to claim the biggest victory of his career against Ruud, who recently lifted his first trophy of the season in Estoril.

In other action, Oscar Otte ousted lucky loser Pavel Kotov 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. The German, who is known for his aggressive game on grass, will try to translate that style to the Madrid clay against 18th seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

Another German advanced when Yannick Hanfmann battled past Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Hanfmann will try to level at 1-1 his ATP Head2Head with 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo.

Did You Know?
Arnaldi successfully qualified for a Masters 1000 event for the first time this week. The 2022 Milan competitor defeated Filip Misolic and Arthur Fils en route to the main draw.

Stand deep and get caught out with a point-ending drop shot. Stand close and have a blistering forehand ripped through you. It’s the dilemma all players face against Carlos Alcaraz, especially on clay.

Daniil Medvedev has seen this first hand, most recently in Indian Wells. While the World No. 3 displays a unique style of play from the baseline, often resembling a brick wall and returning serves nearly in the stands, Alcaraz’s repertoire is like fire and ice. The 19-year-old can go big and bold or display deft feel around the court, sometimes drawing opponents in with a drop shot.

That is highly problematic for opponents.

“They are very disguised,” Medvedev said of the Spaniard’s drop shot. “One out of two he’s going to make a dropshot, but the one he doesn’t make, it’s going to be a bomb forehand, so you can’t just run for it because then it’s going to be a winner. I’m going to be interested to play him more and more to try and see how I can handle this part better.”

Alcaraz ended Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak in last month’s BNP Paribas Open final, where an overwhelming 6-3, 6-2 performance helped the 19-year-old return to World No. 1. In the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’, Medvedev was crowned champion in Miami after he saw off a series of opponents who tried – but failed – to successfully copy Alcaraz’s winning drop shot tactic against ‘Deep-court Daniil’.

“I remember against [Carlos] in Indian Wells, I was like, ‘Yeah, I was not expecting this, the drop shot from this position!’ Medvedev said. “Then the next week in Miami I think a lot of guys maybe saw the final, so they started to do only drop shots against me. It’s not the same. It’s like, ‘Okay, continue doing it, I’m there!’ [and] against [Carlos], I’m not there. He’s playing great and everyone knows it. If you have him in your draw, it’s scary.”

Medevdev arrives in Madrid boasting a 31-4 season record and is No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The 27-year-old is the only player to collect four trophies so far this year: Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami.

Medvedev will be in Madrid action Saturday, when he will meet Andy Murray or Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori. While clay may not be his favourite surface, Medvedev believes his best chance to make a run on the red dirt could be in the Spanish capital.

“It’s definitely different,” Medvedev said. “I would say it’s a little bit like Roland Garros clay where it’s kind of on a harder surface. Also altitude, so the balls are flying. What I see from results of many people, I should be able to actually play better here than other clay court tournaments. So far, I was not able to do it. But every year is a new opportunity. This year is another one, and I’m going to try to just play my best and hopefully play some good tennis.”

Alexander Bublik came out smiling from a topsy-turvy first-round match on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The opening set of the Kazakhstani’s 7-6(15), 6-7(4). 6-4 win against Daniel Elahi Galan was ended by the longest tie-break of the 2023 ATP Tour season so far. After 25 minutes and 32 points of tie-break play, Bublik finally moved ahead by converting his fifth set point.

Galan had already spurned seven set points of his own in the opening set, although the Colombian made amends in the second as he won another tie-break to level the match. Galan was unable to complete the job from 2-0 in the decider, however, as Bublik rallied to a remarkable two-hour, 50-minute triumph at the Caja Magica.

“When you don’t win a lot, it’s tough to finish matches, and I never felt it before because [for the past few seasons I made] 35-plus wins on the season,” Bublik told ATPTour.com. “[So far this year] I only have five, so finishing matches is not easy. I hope to get the momentum back, play better, and win more matches.”

Now 5-14 for 2023, Bublik will next take on sixth seed Holger Rune at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 in the Spanish capital. Wednesday’s marathon tie-break may serve as inspiration for the 25-year-old against Rune, although the World No. 55 would rather try and avoid winning the hard way again.

“It’s very tough playing tennis when you are out of shape, out of rhythm,” said Bublik. “That’s why this thing happened. Last year, if I’d played the same match, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“I was a kid when [he was on Tour], but I saw some videos of him on YouTube.”

Hugo Gaston may be too young to have witnessed the charismatic Younes El Aynaoui in his ATP Tour prime, but the 22-year-old Frenchman is well aware of the legacy of the man who has joined his coaching team for the 2023 European clay-court season.

“He is a legend of Moroccan tennis, African tennis, and tennis in general, so it’s nice to have some advice from him,” Gaston told ATPTour.com on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open when asked about working with the former World No. 14. “He knows tennis, for sure, he was at the top for 20 years. He’s a really good guy, a really good player and a really good coach. So I’m happy with him.”

Gaston and El Aynaoui joined forces at the beginning of April at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, where Gaston promptly secured his first tour-level win of 2023 against Jan-Lennard Struff. The World No. 106 believes that more time spent with the five-time ATP Tour titlist El Aynaoui can only boost his bid to rise back up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“The relationship is pretty good for the moment, we will continue until Roland Garros and then we will see, but there is no reason to stop,” said Gaston, who defeated countryman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday in Madrid to reach the second round. “We have a really good relationship. I feel good with him, I think he feels good with me as well, so it’s good and we can see what we can do.”

Gaston will hope to build on his opening win when he takes on 17th seed Borna Coric next at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital. The former World No. 58 can also look to some recent success on the ATP Challenger Tour for confidence: He holds an 8-3 record at that level this year, including a run to a championship match on clay in Vina del Mar, Chile.

“The Challenger Tour is really difficult now,” said Gaston, who competed at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals. “We can see that a lot of players that won a lot of matches on ATP Tour won a lot of matches on Challenger Tour too.

“It’s a different Tour but really difficult. In South American I played a lot of Challengers. I think that’s really helped me a lot. Now I’m really happy to win one match in Marrakech, one here [in Madrid], and I hope I can continue like that.”

Ten years on since Stan Wawrinka was a finalist at the Mutua Madrid Open, the Swiss is still competing at a high level in the Spanish capital.

On Wednesday, the 38-year-old downed World No. 39 Maxime Cressy 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4), in opening-round action at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Three-time major champion Wawrinka, who is the oldest player in the Madrid draw, won 46 of 54 first-serve points and fired 19 aces to advance after two hours, 27 minutes.

“I’m super happy, I was expecting a really tough match,” Wawrinka said. “First time playing against him, he’s a tough player, putting a lot of pressure [on you], especially in fast conditions. It’s not easy to control the game, [not] a lot of rallies. I was staying calm and tried to be aggressive as I could on my serve. It’s great to win that battle.”

While Cressy stuck to his serve-and-volley tactics, Wawrinka stayed close to the baseline on first-serve returns and only retreated to handle the American’s hefty second delivery. The former World No. 3 Wawrinka remained steady from the baseline and displayed passing shots off both wings, ending with 41 winners to just 18 unforced errors.

Wawrinka will next meet Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev for the first time since the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters. The Swiss leads their ATP Head2Head 2-1.

“It’s going to be a completely different matchup,” Wawrinka said. “Second round also, I have a match under my legs. I think I can play well, I’ve played him a few times already in my career. He’s in top form, it’s going to be a tough battle, but a great challenge for me. That’s the reason I keep playing, to play the top players and try to beat them.”

In other first-round action, Marrakech champion Roberto Carballes Baena ousted David Goffin 6-4, 6-4. The Spaniard will face two-time Madrid titlist Alexander Zverev in the second round. Alex Molcan, who was a semi-finalist last week in Banja Luka, cruised past Wu Yibing 6-2, 6-4.

Frenchmen Gregoire Barrere and Quentin Halys survived three-setters Monday. Barrere downed American wild card Emilio Nava 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 and Halys escaped Alexei Popyrin 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.