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Friday's play at the Mutua Madrid Open sees the top singles seeds in action for the first time. Among those set to open their campaigns on Day 3 at the ATP Masters 1000 event are defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Monte-Carlo champ Andrey Rublev and last week's Munich winner, Holger Rune.

Third seed Casper Ruud is also on the slate and joins those three in having claimed a clay-court title this month, the Norwegian's coming at the ATP 250 in Estoril. Tenth seed Karen Khachanov, 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz and 13th seed Alexander Zverev will also begin their Madrid campaigns, while many singles stars are also set for doubles action.

ATPTour.com breaks down some of the biggest matchups on Friday's schedule across the men's singles draw and men's doubles draw.

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[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN)

Fresh off a successful Barcelona title defence, Alcaraz could complete a second Spanish trophy double in as many years by retaining the Madrid crown. Last year at the ATP Masters 1000, Alcaraz beat Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev to triumph on home soil.

Doubles play began on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where four tightly contested matches featured at the ATP Masters 1000 event. While at least one tie-break was played in all four contests, all of them were decided in straight sets.

Sixth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara edged Hubert Hurkacz and Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6(3), saving all seven break points against them and converting on one of their five break chances. The British-Finnish pair survived 10 aces from the singles stars and rose to the occasion in the second-set tie-break to advance to the last 16.

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Seventh seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden took a similar path into the second round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against Roberto Bautista Agut and Daniel Evans. Bopanna/Ebden won 95 per cent (37/39) of their first-serve points and saved seven of eight break points against them in the victory. They will next face Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Emil Ruusuvuori 7-6(5), 6-3.

Rounding out Thursday's doubles action, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow defeated Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov by the narrowest of margins, 7-6(6), 7-6(5).

Andy Murray suffered a third straight ATP Masters 1000 opening round defeat on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, his comeback bid against Andrea Vavassori falling short despite four match point saves in a 6-2, 7-6(7) loss.

Coupled with his first-round loss to Alex de Minaur two weeks ago in Monte-Carlo, Murray is still searching for his first clay win this season.

"Certainly the beginning of the clay season hasn't been that easy for me, but normally after a few weeks, I start to feel better and play better," Murray said in his post-match press conference. "Obviously last year, I'm not saying I came here and played unbelievable tennis straightaway, but I was playing well enough to win matches... against good players, top players."

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His next opportunity to find his footing on the clay could come next month in Rome, where he has not competed since 2017. Beyond that, Murray hinted that he could make his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2020.

Which shot breaks down more in today's game? The forehand or the backhand?

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of errors from forehand and backhand returns and groundstrokes uncovers a paradigm shift in the modern game. The traditional school of thought was to go after your opponent's backhand and hammer away at it until it breaks. Old-school logic makes perfect sense until you see a stats sheet.

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In today's game, the numbers tell you it's the exact opposite.

It's now about taking time away from the forehand and rushing it into early errors in the rally. Exploit the size of the backswing. Take time away to prepare. Put the offensive shot on defense and watch the errors flow.

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.

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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.

“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.”

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.

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.

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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.

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’.

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.

“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.”

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.

The Zhuhai Championships will welcome the return of ATP Tour tennis to China for the first time in four years this September and today announced that former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will spearhead the field.

The ATP Tour 250 event, which serves the Greater Bay Area in China comprising 11 major cities and a population of more than 71 million, has secured one of the world’s best players to headline the celebration. Medvedev will make his debut in Zhuhai in the tournament running between 20-26 September 2023.

The 2021 US Open champion has been in brilliant form this season, winning four titles so far including the Miami Open earlier this month. The 27-year-old has won a tour-level title in 19 different cities.

Medvedev is looking forward to demonstrating his brilliance at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, the state-of-the-art facility which hosts the Zhuhai Championships, this year.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to China and playing at the Hengqin International Tennis Center,” Medvedev said. “I can't wait to see the city and the stadium, both of which I have heard a lot of good things about. It will be great to play again in front of the Chinese fans again after three years away. “I’m looking forward to seeing you all in September."

Maxime Cressy is one of the unique players on the ATP Tour. The American serves and volleys every point, for better or worse.

But the former college tennis player is eager to show that he is more than just a serving powerhouse. Cressy will hope to demonstrate that against former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“I’m starting to change my return position. Last year, my return position [was] very close, even inside the baseline,” Cressy told ATPTour.com. “So now I'm going to make really big changes in my game with the vision of getting to my goals. I think now, the key for me is to be consistent and getting the balls in play as much as I can.

“I think being deeper off the court is going to be a very important detail for me to start getting into a lot of rallies.”

Cressy was clear that he is maintaining his aggressive mindset and will continue going to the net whenever possible — he writes ‘Instill Doubt’ on his racquet after all. But after plenty of analysis, he is taking a different approach to his overall strategy.

Ping pong, also known as table tennis, has its origins in England in the late 19th century. The game was first played as an indoor version of lawn tennis, and was popular among the upper-class Victorians who enjoyed playing lawn tennis during the summer months. The game began to evolve in the 1880s, when various versions of indoor tennis were devel...

Felix Auger-Aliassime will compete on clay for the first time this season when he takes to court at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Canadian, currently No. 9 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, has not played since March due to a left knee injury and was urging on the side of caution when asked about his chances at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital.

“My ambitions are high but my expectations are low,” Auger-Aliassime said. “In a way I hope to do really well and I'm confident that I can do it but at the same time I'm going to really expect the worst a little bit or expect that everything's going to be really tough. I think I'll need my max focus and concentration from the first match.

”Every match is going to be tough, so if I can get through the early rounds and get some wins behind me, hopefully I’ll get far into the tournament and play well here.”

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Auger-Aliassime, who last competed in Miami one month ago, has taken his injury setback as an opportunity to rest and recharge. While he enjoyed the period, he is excited to compete again, starting against Jason Kubler or Dusan Lajovic in his opening match.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ game is always resplendent on clay courts, where the World No. 5 has forged some of the biggest achievements of his career. The slowest surface on Tour reveals the game of a special player who could well make the Mutua Madrid Open a turning point in his season.

The altitude of Madrid adds bite to a player who hits the ball aggressively and can end a point from anywhere on the playing surface. The carpet-like courts of the Spanish capital generate true bounces, making for bigger targets when a player goes for a winner, and the atmosphere of the Mediterranean city is reminiscent of the Greek’s home.

“Similarity in culture, similarity in a lot of things like food. Spain’s a very welcoming place and a very good destination for tennis,” Tsitsipas said. “I’ve always felt good playing here. “Greece hasn’t had the privilege of hosting any tennis tournaments yet. So Spain is the closest to Greece for me. That’s probably why I’ve played well here”.

In that context, Stefanos arrives in the Spanish capital having rediscovered his game, returning to the kind of form that took him to his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January. With the Barcelona final still fresh in his mind, Tsitsipas is confidence personified when he sets foot in the Manolo Santana Stadium.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

A smile is never far from Carlos Alcaraz’s face in the Caja Magica, where one year ago he delighted the Spanish fans with an unforgettable run to the title. The Spaniard comes to the Mutua Madrid Open as one of the biggest names on Tour, an icon of Spanish sport and, in the immediate future, a man with a tremendous opportunity to defend his title in the Manolo Santana Stadium.

In the midst of a formidable season, Alcaraz arrives in Madrid with a 23-2 record in 2023, and he will be determined to strengthen his dominance on clay. After a successful defence of his crown at the ATP 500 in Barcelona, the possibility of extending his legacy at the Spanish ATP Masters 1000 is within reach.

“Physically, I feel good. I feel 100 per cent,” admitted Alcaraz on Tuesday. “I can’t wait to get going in Madrid. With the level I produced in Barcelona, winning the title, I’m coming here with a lot of confidence. We all know it’s difficult to adapt to Madrid, but we have a few days before we start. I really can’t wait.”

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A host of Top 20 singles stars will undertake double duty at the Mutua Madrid Open this fortnight when they compete in doubles at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who have both won tour-level singles titles this year, team and take on World No. 13 Cameron Norrie and World No. 17 Tommy Paul in a popcorn first-round clash.

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Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov advanced to the third round in Indian Wells together earlier this year and will join forces again in Madrid, while World No. 15 Hubert Hurkacz, who has won four tour-level doubles titles, pairs with #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton

World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas teams alongside brother Petros Tsitsipas after they received a wild card. Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev team for the fourth time this season, while Alex de Minaur partners Grigor Dimitrov.

Defending champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski are the top seeds and are seeking their first title of the season. Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have won three ATP Masters 1000 crowns together and anchor the draw in Madrid. Koolhof and Skupski face Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the first round, while Ram and Salisbury play Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

When Carlos Alcaraz made his debut at the Mutua Madrid Open two years ago, he won just three games in his second-round match against Rafael Nadal. Little did the Spanish teen know that one year later he would make history at the Caja Magica.

Last year, carrying momentum from his maiden ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Miami, Alcaraz showed he was unafraid of the pressure on home soil in Madrid. After defeating five-time ATP Tour titlist Nikoloz Basilashvili and then-World No. 11 Cameron Norrie, he once again played countryman Nadal.

“You always have to think of Rafa as the favourite because he has already won here five times and all of the things he has achieved on clay,” Alcaraz said ahead the match in a press conference. “At the end of the day, I'm the new boy, the newcomer, the one that should not have any pressure when playing against one of the best players of history.”

[BREAK POINT]

If Alcaraz was nervous, he did not show it. This time he upset Nadal 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the teen stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) after a grueling three hours and 36 minutes.