Three To See, Madrid Day 8: Alcaraz vs. Zverev; Sabalenka vs. Sherif; Fritz vs. Zhang

WATCH: Alcaraz toppled Zverev to win his second Masters 1000 title in Madrid last May.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev

Yes, there are still a few players out there with winning records against Alcaraz. One of them is Zverev, who has won three of their four meetings, including the most recent, in the Roland Garros quarterfinals last year. Alcaraz’s lone victory, though, did come in the 2022 Madrid final. That match wasn’t close, but Zverev was coming off two late night wins, and looked gassed from the start.

If anyone is going to defuse the Spaniard, and spoil his birthday party in the Caja Magica on Friday, it’s the German. He has the range to defend against Alcaraz’s ground strokes, and no weaknesses from the baseline to exploit. Zverev, a two-time winner in Madrid, has also been playing himself into form this week. He has won his last three sets, 6-0, 6-1, and 6-0. All of that being said, though, are you going to bet against Alcaraz at home? Winner: Alcaraz

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Mayar Sherif

For a second straight day, Sabalenka will line up against one of the surprise stories of the tournament and try to put an end to her run. On Monday, she beat Mirra Andreeva, a 16-year-old Russian who had chalked up the first three WTA wins of her career in Madrid. On Tuesday, Sabalenka will face a comparative veteran in 26-year-old Mayor Sherif, who is also having a career week in Madrid. The 59th-ranked Egyptian has beaten three seeds, including No. 5 Caroline Garcia, on her way to the quarterfinals.

Sabalenka and Sherif have never squared off, but they do have a couple of things in common. Each likes to play an athletic, attacking game, and each likes to punctuate their swings with a lengthy grunt. So it’s probably going to get loud in Santana Stadium tomorrow afternoon. Sherif is a creative player and a welcome addition to the later rounds at a 1000 like this, but she’ll have to fly pretty high to challenge Sabalenka at this altitude. Winner: Sabalenka

Taylor Fritz vs. Zhang Zhizhen

It has been a week of stories as much as stars in Madrid. Mirra Andreeva, Mayar Sherif, and Pedro Cachin, among others, have all gone farther than anyone expected. And so has Zhang Zhizhen, the 99th-ranked, 26-year-old native of China who finds himself in his first round of 16 at a 1000-level event.

Zhang, who normally travels the Challenger circuit, has been the master of the big moment this week, sending off two seeded opponents, Denis Shapovalov and Cam Norrie, in third-set tiebreakers. He plays with a lot of upbeat energy, and hits the ball equally well from both sides. Does he hit it well enough to stay with the eighth-seeded Fritz? Does he have the energy, after his long, late win over Norrie, to come back and do it again 24 hours later? Fritz is coming off a significant win of his own, over clay-court specialist Cristian Garin, and is looking to keep his spring run on dirt going. Winner: Fritz