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twitter.com\/mutuamadridopen<\/p>\nSaturday features the completion of the second round in men\u2019s singles, and the beginning of the third round in women\u2019s singles.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have combined to win this tournament in four of the last five years.\u00a0 Sabalenka arrives as the clear World No.1, and as a favorite to win here again, as she\u2019s claimed four of her last eight WTA 1000 events.\u00a0 By contrast, Swiatek hasn\u2019t won a WTA title since last summer.\u00a0 But how will Iga fare under the guidance of her new coach Francisco Roig, a long-time confidant of Rafael Nadal?<\/p>\n
On the men\u2019s side, 2025 champion Casper Ruud begins his title defense on Saturday.\u00a0 Yet he is just 9-8 on the year, and he could drop out of the world\u2019s top 25 with an early loss.\u00a0 Second-seeded Alexander Zverev won this title back in 2018, and in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, the draw is open for the German to reach his first Masters 1000 final since 2024.\u00a0 Zverev also makes his 2026 Madrid Open debut on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a rundown of the most notable matches on Saturday (in chronological order, all times local):<\/p>\n
Jaume Munar vs. Casper Ruud (12) \u2013 Second on Manolo Santana Stadium<\/p>\n
twitter.com\/mutuamadridopen<\/p>\n
Ruud\u2019s triumph here a year ago remains his only Masters 1000 title, and since last season\u2019s clay court season, he hasn\u2019t returned to a quarterfinal at this level.\u00a0 Munar is a 28-year-old Spaniard who reached the second week of a Major for the first time just last year in New York, but this is his first tournament in over two months, as he\u2019s been battling a right arm injury.\u00a0 Ruud leads their head-to-head 7-1, which includes a straight-set victory earlier this season at the Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Iga Swiatek (4) vs. Ann Li (31) \u2013 Third on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium<\/p>\n
Swiatek is a modest 14-7 during 2026, and has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals at a WTA event all year.\u00a0 Despite her years of clay court dominance, Iga now hasn\u2019t won a title on this surface in nearly two years.\u00a0 This is her first meeting with Li, a 25-year-old American who recently achieved a career-high ranking of No.33 after claiming the second WTA title of her career.<\/p>\n
Mariano Navone vs. Alexander Zverev (2) \u2013 Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium<\/p>\n
Zverev is 21-7 this season, but his record of 0-6 in his last six ATP semifinals is a bit alarming, though five of those losses came against either Sinner or Alcaraz.\u00a0 Navone is a 25-year-old from Argentina who has been red-hot on red clay of late, winning a Challenger title last month, and an ATP title earlier this month.\u00a0 However, he is 0-6 in this round of Masters tournaments, and he\u2019s never before faced Zverev.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jaqueline Cristian (29) \u2013 Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium<\/p>\n
Sabalenka is a tremendous 24-1 during 2026, and hasn\u2019t lost a match since January\u2019s Australian Open final.\u00a0 She also hasn\u2019t lost a match to anyone not named Rybakina since October.\u00a0 Just last month in Indian Wells, she comfortably defeated Cristian 6-4, 6-1.<\/p>\n
Alexander Bublik (8) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas \u2013 Last on Manolo Santana Stadium<\/p>\n
From June to January, Bublik went on quite a tear, winning five titles across three surfaces.\u00a0 But he\u2019s now lost six of his last 10 matches, which includes a pair of losses to players ranked outside the top 100.\u00a0 Tsitsipas has struggled to regain his form since a back injury drastically impacted his results last season, and is now ranked at No.80.\u00a0 He required three sets and nearly three hours to win in the first round on Thursday, against a lucky loser.\u00a0 While Tsitsipas is 2-0 against Bublik, both of those matches took place back in 2020.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s full Order of Play is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n