Preview: Shapovalov Headlines Day 1 Action In Madrid
Denis Shapovalov will begin his third Mutua Madrid Open campaign on Sunday as the headline act on Day 1 of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
The 11th seed, who reached the semi-finals in the Spanish capital on his tournament debut in 2018, will face an immediate test in his third clay appearance of the season. Shapovalov opens his tournament against 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters runner-up Dusan Lajovic.
The Canadian is searching for form after losing two of his opening three matches on the red dirt this year. Shapovalov lost against his good friend Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell third round last week and fell in his opening match at this week’s Millennium Estoril Open against Corentin Moutet.
Shapovalov and Lajovic, who feature in the third quarter of the draw, will meet for the first time in their ATP Head2Head series on Manolo Santana Stadium. The Day 1 schedule features four main draw singles matches, all final qualifying round encounters and two doubles clashes.
[WATCH LIVE 2]On Stadium 3, four-time ATP Tour titlist Alex de Minaur will attempt to clinch his 10th win of the season (9-8). The Aussie will meet Marbella runner-up Jaume Munar for the second time. Three years ago, De Minaur needed five sets to get past the Spaniard in a thrilling semi-final battle at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Alexander Bublik and Marton Fucsovics will also battle for a place in the second round on Stadium 3. The Kazakhstani won his only previous ATP Head2Head match against Fucsovics at last year’s Open 13 Provence in Marseille. Prior to that match, Tommy Paul and Spanish wild card Pedro Martinez will meet for the second time this year in a repeat of their first-round match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Russian stars Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov will all compete in doubles action on Sunday. Medvedev and his partner, Marcelo Demoliner, will face Miami and Monte-Carlo finalists Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski. Khachanov and Rublev will meet fellow singles stars Fabio Fognini and Diego Schwartzman.
#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti will attempt to reach the main draw in Madrid for the first time when he faces Spanish wild card Carlos Taberner in the final qualifying round. Musetti is one of four Italians aiming to reach the main draw, alongside Stefano Travaglia, Marco Cecchinato and Gianluca Mager.
ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, MAY 02, 2021
MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM start 11:00 am
WTA – K. Muchova (CZE) vs [2] N. Osaka (JPN)
WTA – [5] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs D. Kasatkina (RUS)
Not Before 2:30 pm
D. Lajovic (SRB) vs [11] D. Shapovalov (CAN)
WTA – S. Zheng (CHN) vs [3] S. Halep (ROU)
WTA – J. Pegula (USA) vs [12] V. Azarenka (BLR)
ARANTXA SANCHEZ STADIUM start 11:00 am
Qualifying – M. Cecchinato (ITA) vs R. Carballes Baena (ESP)
Not Before 12:30 pm
WTA – [16] M. Sakkari (GRE) vs A. Kontaveit (EST)
Not Before 2:30 pm
WTA – [6] K. Pliskova (CZE) vs A. Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)
WTA – J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs [11] J. Brady (USA)
WTA – [13] E. Mertens (BEL) vs E. Rybakina (KAZ)
STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
Qualifying – P. Herbert (FRA) vs G. Mager (ITA)
Not Before 12:30 pm
[WC] P. Martinez (ESP) vs T. Paul (USA)
M. Fucsovics (HUN) vs A. Bublik (KAZ)
A. de Minaur (AUS) vs [WC] J. Munar (ESP)
COURT 4 start 12:00 noon
Qualifying – [WC] C. Taberner (ESP) vs L. Musetti (ITA)
Not Before 2:00 pm
WTA – [WC] P. Badosa (ESP) / S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP) vs [5] A. Guarachi (CHI) / D. Krawczyk (USA)
D. Evans (GBR) / N. Skupski (GBR) vs M. Demoliner (BRA) / D. Medvedev (RUS)
COURT 5 start 11:00 am
Qualifying – [2] Y. Nishioka (JPN) vs M. Giron (USA)
Not Before 1:00 pm
Qualifying – [WC] A. Cazaux (FRA) vs [10] A. Popyrin (AUS)
K. Khachanov (RUS) / A. Rublev (RUS) vs F. Fognini (ITA) / D. Schwartzman (ARG)
COURT 6 start 12:00 noon
Qualifying – J. Londero (ARG) vs [12] F. Delbonis (ARG)
Not Before 2:00 pm
Qualifying – [7] S. Travaglia (ITA) vs [13] P. Andujar (ESP)