De Minaur Goes From Off The Grid In Madrid Into Fourth Round

Alex de Minaur, Madrid
Alex de Minaur (photo: Angel Martinez/MMO)

MADRID/WASHINGTON, April 29, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

World No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia earned his 24th victory of the season – tying Carlos Alcaraz for the ATP Tour lead – with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Canadian No. 2 Denis Shapovalov in an hour and 29 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium to move into the fourth round at the Mutua Madrid Open Tuesday afternoon.

On a busy day at Caja Mágica, due to Monday’s cancellation of seven third-round matches, it was time for the lower half of the draw to get caught up after a day off the grid and for the upper half to begin its fourth-round play.

The sixth-seeded de Minaur withstood 23 winners from Shapovalov, who was attempting to reach the fourth round in Madrid for the first time since advancing to the 2018 semifinals in his debut at age 19. He countered with 11 winners of his own, made just 11 unforced errors, saved the only break point he faced while breaking Shapovalov’s serve twice in three tries. He outpointed his opponent 70-57.

De Minaur improved his career head-to-head against Shapovalov to 5-0, including 1-0 on clay – and he’s 14-2 lifetime against Canadian competition. However, afterward, the Aussie No. 1  admitted it wasn’t as easy as it may have looked.

“He’s got tremendous firepower from every part of the court. I had to do my best to neutralize it; not let him dictate as much as he could and try to make it uncomfortable for him,” de Minaur said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “All in all, I’m super happy with the way I competed today.”

De Minaur (24-8 this season) became just the second player to reach the round of 16 in all four ATP Masters 1000 events this year and he’s advanced to the fourth round in five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.

The de Minaur-Shapovalov match was originally scheduled for Monday but was pushed back due to the severe power outage that affected Caja Mágica as well as much of Spain and Portugal for 10 hours or more. During his post-match interview, de Minaur was asked to describe how handled matters.

“It was definitely something different,” de Minaur said. “It gives you a new perspective on your everyday life, how in-tune you are with technology. For me, I enjoyed having a little time off the grid. It was quite fun. I’m glad everything has been sorted out. It could have been quite dangerous for a lot people. I’m glad we’re past it and we can move on.”

Next, de Minaur will play No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who improved to 8-1 on clay this season – his lone loss was to Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo final. The World No. 11 Musetti defeated No. 17 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, 7-5, 7-6 (3), in one hour and 54 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium. It was Musetti’s second career win over Tsitsipas – and second time he’s beaten him this year in an ATP Masters 1000 event.

Musetti, who rallied from a set point down, finished with 22 winners to 20 unforced errors, compared to 28 winners and 38 unforced errors by Tsitsipas. The 23-year-old Italian converted two of eight break points and outpointed Tsitsipas 84-75.

“Honestly, I didn’t start really well,” Musetti said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “I felt like with my first time on Manolo Santana Stadium – I didn’t get a chance to try the court before – I felt complete different conditions from what I played with during the weekend.

“Definitely, I was struggling at the beginning to find the rhythm, to find the ball. Here, the balls bounce much higher compared to the other courts. So, I struggled a little bit. At the end, I stayed really patient – and with a really good attitude – and it’s a really important win for me.”

Cerundolo upsets top seed Zverev

No. 20 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina upset World No. 2 and top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, 7-5, 6-3, in an hour and 29 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium to advance into the quarterfinal round. The victory was Cerundolo’s tour-leading 15th win on clay this season – he’s 15-5 on red dirt– and the Argentine No. 1 is through to his tour-leading seventh quarterfinal of 2025.

The 26-year-old Cerundolo, who owns a 3-0 win-loss record lifetime against the German No. 1 – including back-to-back wins in the round of 16 in Madrid – closed out his 23rd victory of the season on his second match-point opportunity. He hit a third-shot forehand winner that left Zverev dead in his tracks. Cerundolo finished with 18 winners, won 81 percent of his first-serve points and converted two of three break points. He outpointed Zverev 62-55 in collecting his first win on the biggest show court at Caja Mágica.

The loss prevented the two-time Madrid champion Zverev from becoming the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 100 tour-level quarterfinals.

During his on-court interview with ATP Media, Cerundolo was asked to describe the secret to his on-court success against Zverev. “I don’t know, to be honest,” he admitted. “I’m just super happy because I know he loves playing here. He told me last year when I beat him. He’s an incredible player; I have a great relationship with him. So, I’m happy to get another win and to be in the quarterfinals again.”

Now, Cerundolo, who has four Top-10 triumphs in 2025, has attained his third ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season following his previous successes at Indian Wells and Miami – and with his sights set on achieving his four career ATP Tour title.

“I think I have improved a lot in my consistency and my positivity,” Cerundolo said. “This year I learned to play bad and win matches. If I’m not playing good, I keep going, keep trying – and try again. I’m doing way better at that this year. I learned to win when I’m not playing my best tennis. So, I’m super happy with what I’m doing this year.”

During his post-match news conference Zverev said: “In the end of the day, I don’t think I played terrible. The match before Munich when I was losing, I was losing because of me. I was losing because I was playing bad and I was missing and I was maybe not brave enough. I cannot really say that today.

“Maybe I played one bad game at 6-5 in the first set, but this is one game per match, this can happen. But all in all, I feel like my game is improving and I feel like there is not too much wrong with my game. I just feel like that today my opponent was better than me and this can happen in sport.”

Next, Cerundolo will face No. 22 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia, who needed just 56 minutes to ease past No. 75 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-2, on Stadium 3. The 19-year-old #NextGenATP rising star hit 10 aces and 19 winners overall while winning 77 percent of his first-serve points. He outpointed Bublik 60-38 in extending his ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to nine straight following his title run at the Miami Open last month.

Mensik is into his third ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal – and first one on clay. He’s the fifth teenager to reach the last eight in Madrid tournament history, following Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Denis Shapovalov and Carlos Alcaraz.

Americans Paul, Tiafoe advance to fourth round

No. 11 seed Tommy Paul and No. 16 seed Frances Tiafoe, both from the United States, advanced into the fourth round with their respective victories.

Paul defeated No. 24 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in one hour and 43 minutes on Stadium 3, while Tiafoe had an easier go against No. 39 Alexandre Muller of France and won 6-3, 6-3 in 78 minutes on Court 4.

It was just the third Top-30 win on clay for Paul, who won 85 percent of his first-served points, converted three of seven break points and outpointed Khachanov 76-65 to improve his 2025 season win-loss record to 17-6.

Meanwhile, Tiafoe won back-to-back matches for just the second time this season and is through to his first ATP Masters 1000 round of 16 since Cincinnati last August and just the second time on clay after Madrid in 2019. Against Muller, he saved both break points he faced, while converting three of 10 break-point chances. He outpointed Muller 69-51 to advance against No. 44 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, who was the only player to complete his third-round match on Monday.

Next, Paul will face No. 5 seed Jack Draper of Great Britain, who advanced by retirement over No. 30 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy after winning the first set 7-6 (2) in 58 minutes. Draper hit 10 winners and converted one of six break points during the abbreviated match. He outpointed Berrettini 46-38, who retired immediately after the completion of the first set from an apparent abdominal injury.

“I think he said his abs were pulling,” Draper said in his on-court interview with ATP Media. “I’ve had injuries in the past. I believe he might have done it in his last match, so credit to him for coming out here and putting on a good first set. I saw his energy was a bit low in general. Matteo is normally a very positive player, so it’s always tough to see a friend having an injury.

“It’s plagued him a lot, myself as well, so I know how he feels. I hope he’s able to come back for Rome and I wish him all the best. He’s a great guy.”

Around the Caja Mágica

• Due to the power outage throughout Caja Mágica, which spread across Madrid and much of Spain and Portugal – and cancelled nearly all of Monday’s order of play – there were a total of 11 men’s singles matches on Tuesday’s schedule.

First, there was the continuation of No. 15 seed Grigor Dimitrov‘s match against 68th-ranked qualifier Jacob Fearnley, which Dimitrov led 6-4, 5-4, plus six other third-round matches that never saw action. Fearnley saved his second match point and held serve to force a second-set tie-break.

By the end of their one-hour, 57-minute match that stretched across two days, it was the World No. 16 Dimitrov who maintained his cool while staying calm and composed the best in defeating Fearnley, 6-4, 7-6 (3). The Bulgarian captured his tour-leading 11th ATP Tour Masters 1000 victory of the season by hitting 23 winners, converting three of five break points and outpointing his opponent 82-70. He won on his third match-point opportunity.

“My serve helped me a lot; I served much better today,” Dimitrov said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “The conditions were very tricky. In the previous round, I felt like I was playing good, but I know I have more in me and I’m just trying to find that extra gear right now. It’s been taxing mentally more than anything else. I’m glad to be through it and I’m ready to play again.”

Dimitrov pointed to his match and the aftermath in dealing with the power outage to show how quickly things can change – on and off the tennis court. “In life, as well,” he said, noting it took him three hours to arrive back at his hotel. “From one point of view to be serving for the match, from the other receiving. Then, the lights went out.

“I look at this type of situation as a learning curve,” he added. “Of course, I’m focusing on the match but at the same time, mentally it’s so much more important to be healthy than anything else.

“You take it for what it is and move on.”

• Next, Dimitrov will play 78th-ranked lucky loser Gabriel Diallo in the fourth round. The 23-year-old Canadian went the distance to pull out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 91 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain in two hours and 31 minutes on Court 4. Playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 third round, Diallo is the fifth lucky loser in tournament history to reach the Madrid fourth round. He saved 12 of 14 break points he faced and outpointed Norrie 107-105.

• World No. 10 Daniil Medvedev of Russia needed five match points to put away No. 31 seed Brandon Nakashima of the United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, in one hour and 49 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium Tuesday evening to continue his quest for his first final since Indian Wells last year and first ATP Tour title since Rome in 2023. By rallying to beat Nakashima, it kept the 23-year-old American from reaching the biggest quarterfinal of his career.

Medvedev struck 30 winners – including 15 from his forehand side – and won 78 percent of his first-serve points. He converted four of seven break points and outpointed Nakashima 84-77. He’s safely through to his 23rd ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal – including back-to-back quarterfinals in Madrid – and improved to 14-1 versus players ranked outside the Top 20 on clay.

During his post-match interview with ATP Media, Medvedev spoke about the conditions on court: “The ball was bouncing so high, it was so tough to control. I feel like for both of us, because we both made a lot of unforced errors. I got pretty angry at the end of the first set because I couldn’t control what I was doing on the court, but I felt like I’m not far from winning games and then winning the match. So, I knew that I just had to stay tougher, play just a tiny bit better and I managed to do it.”

Next, Medvedev will play No. 14 seed Casper Ruud of Norway, who handled No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz of the United States in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, in one hour and 36 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium Tuesday night. Ruud won 73 percent of his first-serve points, hit 27 winners, converted three of seven break points and outpointed Fritz 71-63.

Throughout, Ruud played with a sense of clarity and used an effective game plan against Fritz, whom he has now beaten three out of four times – including twice on clay. “I knew playing Taylor would be really tough. In the altitude the ball flies, it goes faster through the air,” Ruud said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “He was a semifinalist here last year and, obviously, likes the conditions.

“It’s not easy to return here, let’s just say. When he’s serving that big, you don’t get in on all the shots, all the returns. I tried my best to neutralize his serve and play just good, smart clay-court tennis. I think the key shot today for me was, maybe, the backhand and the backhand down the line. I think I used it really clever to surprise him.

“Sometimes, it seemed, I wrong-footed him with my backhand down the line, so I’m very happy with that. It was a good plan, a good tactic. It’s his first tournament back from an injury, so I’m sure he’ll play better and better from here on. He’s a threat no matter what surface.”

Tuesday’s Mutua Madrid Open results

Wednesday’s Mutua Madrid Open order of play

By the numbers

Despite both players losing today in Madrid, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are tied for the most ATP Masters 1000 victories this decade. Each has won 83 matches.

“Quotable …”

“I’m feeling better and better on clay. So, the mindset is to try to really do something big. I won Rome, so now I’m much more confident in myself. I had some top wins. Even if we take Monte-Carlo, I beat two really good guys on clay. I was really disappointed to lose super easy to Alex [de Minaur], but he played a great match – it was still like a good thing to see. Okay, next time if I play him, or someone who plays this level on clay, I need to really do much better, and that’s what I tried to do here in Madrid.

“So no real goals in terms of points or something, but I want to try to play my best tennis, and I know that now on clay I can play almost kind of the same as on hard courts.”

– World No. 10 and ninth seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, during his post-match news conference Sunday, on what his mindset is for the clay season.

 

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