Each day this week, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches at the Madrid Open.
Simona Halep vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
It will be a quick and tough turnaround for both of these women. On Wednesday, Vandeweghe beat Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-5, in the third set, while Halep beat Samantha Stosur, 6-4, in a decider. On Thursday, they’ll be up first in Estadio Manolo Santana. The American and the Romanian have never played, and while Halep will be the favorite—she’s ranked 20 spots higher and is a much more natural clay-courter—the matchup should be interesting. Can CoCo use her baseline game to bully Halep? How will Simona handle the pace, and the lack of rhythm, that Vandeweghe gives her?
Winner: Halep
Rafael Nadal vs. Nick Kyrgios
Twenty-four hours after fending off one sometime-nemesis, Fabio Fognini, in a wild three-setter, Nadal will try to repeat the feat against another guy who has troubled him in the past. Rafa and Kyrgios are 1-1 in two meetings; the Aussie won on grass at Wimbledon in 2014 and the Spaniard won a close one on clay last year in Rome. Judging by Kyrgios’ play this year against the Big Four—two wins over Novak Djokovic and a three-tiebreaker loss to Roger Federer—you might make him the favorite in this one, even on Nadal’s home clay. He plays well when he has something to prove; beating Rafa in Madrid, three weeks before the French Open, would prove something.
Winner: Kyrgios
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Dominic Thiem
Stylistically, this should be a fun battle of the backhands. But it will also be an interesting status report on both players as Roland Garros approaches. Each has had his ups and downs so far in 2017; Dimitrov was up early and down late, while for Thiem the opposite has been the case. But each has two wins under his belt in Madrid, and another would put him in the quarters of a Masters 1000 with, potentially, a winnable match against Andy Murray up next. The Austrian and the Bulgarian have split their two previous matches.
Winner: Thiem
