{"id":599107,"date":"2026-04-22T06:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T06:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/599107\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T06:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T06:44:08","slug":"atp-madrid-day-1-predictions-including-marin-cilic-vs-zizou-bergs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/599107\/","title":{"rendered":"ATP Madrid Day 1 Predictions Including Marin Cilic vs Zizou Bergs"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re now well into the clay season with many players having found their feet and game on the red dirt. A handful have won titles while a few are still trying to make their mark. The ATP Madrid 1000 gets underway, offering another chance for those still trying to sharpen their clay-court game, as well as a further opportunity for those who have settled nicely to consolidate their good form. Here at LWOT, as always, we\u2019re covering the matches, offering our insights and predictions. Let\u2019s get right into it!<\/p>\n

ATP Madrid Day 1 Predictions
\nElmer Moller vs Federico Cina<\/p>\n

Head-to-head: first meeting<\/p>\n

Moller vs Cina. The qualifier vs the wildcard. Two young players with everything to play for. Moller has spent most of the year playing entirely on clay with very little success. He, however, won two matches to get here. Cina, on the other hand, comes into this on the back of three straight defeats on the surface. One of those matches where anything could happen. Having said that, I\u2019d still lean towards Moller. He has clearly spent more time on the surface and has the crucial advantage of having already won matches at the tournament.
Prediction: Moller in 3<\/p>\n

Tomas Machac vs Francisco Comesana<\/p>\n

Head-to-head: Machac 1-0<\/p>\n

On paper, this looks like a very favorable opening match for Tomas Machac. He had a disappointing outing in Barcelona, having shown good signs in Monte Carlo. Comesana, ranked just outside the Top 100, certainly likes clay courts, but in Machac, he\u2019d be up against a player whose ranking does not reflect his obvious talents. If the Czech plays anywhere near his best, it is difficult to see how Comesana can hurt him. I expect Machac to be up for it, and with that in mind, I can only see one winner.
Prediction: Machac in 2<\/p>\n

Jaime Faria vs Hubert Hurkacz<\/p>\n

Head-to-head: first meeting<\/p>\n

Jaime Faria is another of those players who spend most of their time on clay courts. Hurkacz, a player certainly capable of great things, has endured a horrible start to his season since the Australian Open<\/a>. He finally found some respite in Monte Carlo, where he won two matches, having previously gone on a run of seven straight defeats. This match should serve as a good barometer as to whether he has indeed turned a corner with the start of the clay season. Faria is clearly comfortable on clay, but one that Hurkacz should be beating. I anticipate some early difficulties for the Pole, but I believe he has now turned a corner and should get the job done.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3<\/p>\n

Zizou Bergs vs Marin Cilic<\/p>\n

Head-to-head: Bergs 1-0 Cilic<\/p>\n

A match between two players who have yet to find their feet in this clay season. The veteran Cilic has had a more torrid time of it, having lost two of his three matches on the surface. Bergs has had a slightly better time of it so far. Both will be desperate for a win here to get their clay season going. The Madrid courts notoriously play faster than what you\u2019d expect from a clay court, which bodes well for the 37-year-old Cilic, who would rely on his huge serve to navigate this match. Bergs, on the other hand, will hope to draw him into rallies he can control and wear Cilic down in the process. Cilic\u2019s recent form does not infuse me with confidence about his chances. He\u2019d most likely put up a good fight, but I see Bergs coming through victorious.
Prediction: Bergs in 3<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re now well into the clay season with many players having found their feet and game on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[260866,223940,223941,218338,247151,73869,189609,29251,199736,11249,11250,71858,125621,260867,99,428,9985,9986,97225,188574,78306,186947],"class_list":{"0":"post-599107","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-atp-madrid-predictions","9":"tag-elmer-moller","10":"tag-elmer-moller-predictions","11":"tag-federico-cina","12":"tag-federico-cina-predictions","13":"tag-francisco-comesana","14":"tag-francisco-comesana-predictions","15":"tag-hubert-hurkacz","16":"tag-hubert-hurkacz-predictions","17":"tag-jaime-faria","18":"tag-jaime-faria-predictions","19":"tag-marin-cilic","20":"tag-marin-cilic-predictions","21":"tag-mutua-madrid-open-predictions","22":"tag-sports","23":"tag-tennis","24":"tag-tennis-picks","25":"tag-tennis-predictions","26":"tag-tomas-machac","27":"tag-tomas-machac-predictions","28":"tag-zizou-bergs","29":"tag-zizou-bergs-predictions"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}