The seeded players will begin taking the court in Madrid on Friday–among them Ben Shelton and Alexei Popyrin. Shelton is facing Mariano Navone, while Popyrin is kicking off his fortnight with Alexander Bublik on the other side of the net.
(12) Ben Shelton vs. Mariano Navone
Shelton and Navone will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time this season when they meet in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Shelton’s way–6-4, 6-3 this past fall in Tokyo and 6-3, 6-2 at last month’s Indian Wells Masters.
Indian Wells is about as favorable as a hard court can be for Navone, while Madrid offers Shelton the best possible conditions he could hope for on clay. The 85th-ranked Argentine will still have a better chance in this matchup with crushed brick under his feet, but the fast conditions at high altitude help Shelton. Moreover, the 13th-ranked American has found his footing on clay; he won the Houston title last spring and is coming off a runner-up performance in Munich. If the No. 12 seed has even a decent serving day, he should advance without too much trouble.
Pick: Shelton in 2
(25) Alexei Popyrin vs. Alexander Bublik
Bublik won just about all of the big points–some with underarm serves–during a 7-6(2), 7-6(4) victory over Alex Michelsen on Wednesday. It was a much-needed result for the 27-year-old Kazakh, who is a horrendous 4-10 on the main tour in 2025 and has dipped to 75th in the rankings. He simply can’t wait for grass (and to a lesser extent fast hard courts) in an effort to get back on track this season.Up next for Bublik on Friday is a fourth meeting with Popyrin, who is sweeping the head-to-head series 3-0. The 26th-ranked Aussie prevailed in three sets at the 2018 Astana Challenger, in three at the 2021 ATP event in Singapore, and 6-4, 6-4 last year in Doha. Popyrin is in far superior form right now and is the better clay-court player, so he should be able to secure a spot in the last 32.
Pick: Popyrin in 2
