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Medvedev-Murray, Tsitsipas-Thiem Potential Early Blockbusters In Madrid
The Mutua Madrid Open draw has thrown up a number of potential early blockbusters. Daniil Medvedev could face Andy Murray in his opener and Stefanos Tsitsipas could meet former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in the second round.
Medvedev will try to add to his Tour-leading 31 wins for 2023 at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. The second seed will face World No. 1 Murray first up if the Briton defeats a qualifier in the first round. Jiri Lehecka, the 31st seed, could meet Medvedev in the third round in the Spanish capital, while Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie are potential quarter-final opponents for the 27-year-old.
Fourth seed Tsitsipas awaits two-time Madrid finalist Thiem or former World No. 14 Kyle Edmund as he looks to bounce back from his defeat in the Barcelona final to Carlos Alcaraz.
Fresh from defending an ATP Tour title for the first time in Barcelona, Alcaraz headlines the top half of the draw as the defending champion and top seed. The 19-year-old will play Emil Ruusuvuori or Ugo Humbert first up in Madrid, where he defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to the title a year ago.
The man Alcaraz beat in the 2022 championship match, Alexander Zverev, is a potential fourth-round opponent for the Spaniard this year. A two-time Madrid champion with a 19-3 tournament record, the 13th-seeded Zverev starts against David Goffin or home favourite Roberto Carballes Baena.
Alongside Medvedev and Tsitsipas, the bottom half of the draw also includes seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian, who is chasing his maiden Masters 1000 crown, could take on #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton in the third round. Auger-Aliassime opens against Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic or Jason Kubler, while the big-serving lefty Shelton meets Lorenzo Sonego or a qualifier.
Andrey Rublev carries significant momentum to Madrid after lifting his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo and reaching the Banja Luka final. The fifth seed may face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his opening match, should the Swiss blunt the serve-and-volleying Maxime Cressy in the first round.
Third seed Casper Ruud opens against a qualifier. The Norwegian, who won his first title of 2023 in Estoril earlier this month, is seeded to meet Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round. Sixth seed Holger Rune, who saved four championship points against Botic van de Zandschulp en route to his fourth ATP Tour title in Munich on Sunday, will make his Madrid debut against Alexander Bublik or Daniel Elahi Galan.
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