Madrid Open 2024 Day 4 Recap

The round of 64 at the Madrid Open is complete, and Saturday’s play saw Rafael Nadal delight the home crowd with a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over 10th seed. Alex de Minaur.

Alongside Rafa’s win, it was an action-packed day with Sinner, Medvedev and Shelton among the top seeds to progress.

The upset of the round came courtesy of Thiago Monteiro, who took out Stefanos Tstisipas in straight sets. Ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov also fell to Jakub Mensik, with the Czech securing his second top-10 win of the season.

You can see the full results from day four below along with select highlights.

Day Four 2024 Madrid Open Round of 64 Results

Monteiro Takes Out Tstisipas

Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro delivered a major surprise on Saturday by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, in a remarkable second-round performance.

Tsitsipas entered Madrid with a 10-1 clay-court record this season, but the sixth-seeded Greek couldn’t keep up with Monteiro’s precise and forceful play.

Monteiro’s lefty serve into the backhand on the ad court also does a lot of damage, and he played rather flawlessly.

The win means the Brazilian became the first player ranked outside the Top 100 to beat Tsitsipas in a tour-level clay-court match. A match Stef later somewhat cryptically stated that he didn’t feel 100% ready for.

For sure one of the biggest wins of my career, I knew it was a really tough match and I tried to just believe in myself all the time. I was feeling really good today on the court. With these conditions, I usually like to play a lot on clay and at altitude. I’ve played three matches already so I had a little bit of rhythm and confidence, so I just fought to the end and believed I could win this match. Every week, you have a new opportunity. These past few weeks, I wasn’t feeling good on the court. I was trying to do well at Challengers, but it didn’t work. I just kept up the hard work, day by day. Even when I was not feeling good and not winning matches, I kept believing in myself, which has paid off this week. Monteiro on his win.

Sinner Shuts Down Sonego

Jannik Sinner entered the Madrid Open with a modest 3-2 record at the Caja Magica, yet the top seed looked in complete control on Saturday.

I’d heard from some people that he looked deadly in practice and he took apart Sonego from start to finish, coming through 6-0, 6-3 in a mere 69 minutes.

Sinner now holds a 5-0 H2H record over Sonego, and he broke serve four times without facing a single break point on his serve.

The stats make grim reading for Sonego, with Sinner winning a higher percentage of points on his second serve (62%) than Sonego managed on his first serve (54%), dominating the match without difficulty.

I know Lorenzo quite well. We share a strong friendship off the court, we team up for the Davis Cup, and we often practice together. The mental aspect was slightly different this time, and I’m pleased with how I managed the situation. Lorenzo wasn’t at his best today, and it showed. I hope he has a great season moving forward. Sinner on his win over Sonego.

Nadal Delights Madrid Crowd

Rafael Nadal delighted his home crowd with glimpses of his best during a compelling second-round victory over Alex de Minaur.

The five-time champion secured a 7-6(6), 6-3 win, marking his first victory over a Top 20 player since the 2022 ATP Finals, when he beat Holger Rune.

Facing De Minaur for the second time in as many weeks, Nadal avenged the previous loss in Barcelona with a spirited performance in front of a vibrant crowd at the Caja Magica. 

From what I saw, his level was higher than Barcelona’s, and his backhand was very effective as he went loopy and flattened it out. He also put in a couple of head-down sprints to track down drop shots, so he was physically more invested in the match.

Next up for Nadal is Pedro Cachin, who was having a woeful time on tour until Madrid and took out Frances Tiafoe in three sets.

At times, the level of tennis was quite good. I managed some good plays, though it was a bit inconsistent. I’m extremely happy to compete at this level against a formidable opponent like Alex for over two hours. It means so much to me, and the atmosphere here is unbelievable. I’m immensely grateful to everyone here. I honestly believe tennis hasn’t been the problem in the last two years, but rather the physical issues. If I can play continuously and maintain my game, I’ll see how far I can go and how competitive I can be. It’s not there yet; just taking it step by step and focusing on recovery. Nadal on his playing level.

Other Matches of Note

Medvedev Fights Past Arnaldi: Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to beat Italian Matteo Arnaldi 2-6 6-4 6-4 and will meet America’s Sebastian Korda in the third round. Meddy provided plenty of ridiculous court coverage, but his game looked ineffective.

Auger-Aliassime Mauls Mannarino: Clay isn’t Mannarino’s domain, and Felix cruised past him 6-0, 6-4 in just 70 minutes to charge into the third round of the Madrid Open.

Mensik Downs Dimitrov: Jakub Mensik pulled off an impressive upset against Grigor Dimitrov, winning 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3. This victory marked his second win over a Top 10 opponent and advanced him to the third round. In his next match, he faces Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Shelton Sinks Machac: Shelton wasted no time booking his third-round place with a 6-0, 6-2 win against Tomas Machac, and he looks to have transitioned nicely from the ‘fake’ clay in Houston to the real stuff in Madrid.

Madrid Open 2024 Day 5 Round of 32 Matches