As a result of the power outage earlier this week, all four ATP quarterfinals at the Mutua Madrid Open will be played on Thursday. The top half of the draw is especially intriguing, with Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Francisco Cerundolo, and Jakub Mensik aiming for spots in the semis.
Here are my picks for two of Thursday’s best matchups.
(20) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (22) Jakub Mensik
Cerundolo upset Alexander Zverev in the fourth round, so it will be Cerundolo vs. Mensik in the Madrid Masters quarterfinals on Thursday. They have met just once, when the Argentine got the job done 7-6(4), 6-1 at the 2024 Beijing tournament. Seven months later, Mensik is already a much different kind of opponent. Don’t forget that the 19-year-old had to qualify in Beijing; now he is No. 23 in the rankings and will be seeded at Grand Slams. Mensik is currently riding a nine-match winning streak at Masters 1000s, which includes a surprise title in Miami and straight-set wins this fortnight at the expense ofEthan Quinn, Ben Shelton, and Alexander Bublik.
Cerundolo is also playing great. The world No. 21 is 23-9 for his 2025 campaign with a runner-up showing in Buenos Aires, back-to-back quarterfinal performances on the Sunshine Double, and a semifinal effort in Munich. Cerundolo is 15-5 on clay this season after taking out Harold Mayot, Francisco Comesana, and Zverev earlier in Madrid. With both guys playing the best tennis of their lives, this should be a competitive, high-quality affair. At high altitude, Mensik may have just enough firepower to advance.
Pick: Mensik in 3
(14) Casper Ruud vs. (9) Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev and Ruud will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers. All three of their previous tilts have gone Medvedev’s way, but they have never squared off on clay and they have not gone head-to-head since 2021–so the Ruud’s 0-3 record should be of little concern. Since a pair of 2021 meetings, Ruud has reached three major finals–including two at Roland Garros. The world No. 15 is a former semifinalist in Madrid (2021) and he is back in the quarterfinals following straight-set defeats of Arthur Rinderknech, Sebastian Korda, and Taylor Fritz.
After receiving a walkover from Laslo Djere, Medvedev crushed Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-2, 6-2 and then edged out Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the last 16. To the surprise of anyone who follows tennis, the Russian has not captured an ATP title in almost exactly two years (Rome Masters in 2023) and he has not even reached to a final since March of last year (Indian Wells Masters). On clay, Ruud should be able to dictate play with his forehand and extended Medvedev’s drought.
Pick: Ruud in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.