MADRID: The Madrid Open draw has been revealed with 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.
The Madrid Open 2023 will get underway on Wednesday, April 26.
“At the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event, Medvedev will look to add to his Tour-leading 31 wins for 2023. If Murray defeats a qualifier in the first round, the second seed will meet World No. 1 Murray first. Jiri Lehecka, the 31st seed, might face Medvedev in the third round in Madrid, while Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie could be his quarter-final opponents,” ATP.com said.
Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, will face either two-time Madrid finalist Thiem or former World No. 14 Kyle Edmund in his attempt to avenge his defeat in the Barcelona final to Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, the defending champion and top seed, heads the top half of the draw after successfully defending an ATP Tour title for the first time in Barcelona. In Madrid, where he defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic his way to victory a year ago, the 19-year-old will face Emil Ruusuvuori or Ugo Humbert first.
Alexander Zverev, the guy Alcaraz defeated in the 2022 championship match, is a potential fourth-round opponent for the Spaniard this year. The 13th-seeded Zverev, a two-time Madrid champion with a 19-3 tournament record, takes either David Goffin or home favourite Roberto Carballes Baena.
Along with Medvedev and Tsitsipas, seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is in the bottom half of the draw. In the third round, the Canadian, who is chasing his first Masters 1000 title, might face #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton. Auger-Aliassime starts against Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic or Jason Kubler, while Shelton faces Lorenzo Sonego or a qualifier.
Andrey Rublev brings a lot of momentum to Madrid after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo and reaching the Banja Luka final. If the Swiss defeats the serve-and-volley Maxime Cressy in the first round, the fifth seed may meet former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his opening encounter. (ANI)