![\"Stefanos](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tsitsipas-madrid-2026-monday.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Match Report
\n Tsitsipas gets \u2018in touch with the game\u2019 to set Ruud showdown in Madrid<\/p>\n
Defending champ Ruud has dropped just five games across two matches so far<\/p>\n
April 27, 2026<\/p>\n
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David Ramos\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrates his win against Daniel Merida on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/a> cited a strong sense of on-court joy as one of the reasons behind his Monday march past Daniel Merida<\/a> to the fourth round at the Mutua Madrid Open<\/a>. <\/p>\n The former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings ended hometown favourite Merida\u2019s run with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the clay ATP Masters 1000 event. Tsitsipas, who is trying to rediscover his best form and work his way back up the rankings from his current position of World No. 80, converted three out of four break points he earned against Merida, according to Infosys ATP Stats. <\/p>\n Feeling at home on the hallowed red dirt \ud83e\uddf1@stefanos<\/a> becomes the fourth man to record 100 clay wins in this decade! @MutuaMadridOpen<\/a> | #MMOPEN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AGDjHfIQHi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen you are playing matches like that, where you are fighting and in a good mindset and constantly looking and searching for opportunities, you feel like the joy of the game on its own allows you to feel fulfilled already when you’re on the court,\u201d the Greek said. \u201cThese types of moments, [regardless] of the actual result, I feel like they teach me a lot. They make me get in touch with the game. <\/p>\n \u201cI really love the game when I get to discover tennis in such ways. Just hitting winners, missing a few times, but overall trying to take the most out of it. Seeing good rotation of my ball and seeing I can actually press and create some big shots, these are the types of moments that make me really enjoy the game.\u201d <\/p>\n Tsitsipas has struggled with injury and confidence across the past 12 months, but the 12-time ATP Tour champion and 2019 Madrid finalist is now into the last 16 at a Masters 1000 event for the first time since he reached that stage at the 2025 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cI think there was plenty to take from today,\u201d the 27-year-old added. \u201cI was solid. I was playing my game and applying a lot of pressure out on the court, so I\u2019m just really joyful to see myself perform at such a high level. I wasn\u2019t giving much, and that\u2019s what made me a strong opponent today.\u201d <\/p>\n With his 68-minute triumph against Merida, Tsitsipas became just the fourth man this decade to win 100 tour-level matches on clay. The man with the most match wins on that list, Casper Ruud<\/a>, will be his fourth-round opponent in Madrid. <\/p>\n Most tour-level clay wins since the start of 2020 <\/p>\n Ruud earlier raced past home favourite Alejandro Davidovich Fokina<\/a> 6-3, 6-1. The defending champion has dropped just five games in total so far this year in the Spanish capital, having dismantled Jaume Munar<\/a> 6-0, 6-1 in his opening match. <\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s encounter between Ruud and Tsitsipas will be the pair\u2019s first tour-level meeting since the 2024 Barcelona final. Ruud prevailed on that occasion, and the 12th-seeded Norwegian heads into the Madrid clash with a 3-2 lead in the pair\u2019s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. <\/p>\n