The ATP’s No. 1 is attempting to become the first man to win five straight Masters 1000s since the format was introduced in 1990.
It’s not often that a player has a chance to break a record held by both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Sinner is approaching that summit in Madrid.
Sinner’s Madrid Quest
After rolling through the Paris Masters last November, and then Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo this spring, he’s trying to become the first man to win five straight Masters 1000s since the format was introduced in 1990. Djokovic won four straight on three different occasions, and Nadal did it once. Whatever happens to Sinner in the Magic Box, it’s an early sign that he’s destined to keep some elite historical company.
He’ll start his quest against the 29-year-old Bonzi. Bonzi is ranked 104th and has been as high as 42. He’s best known for beating Daniil Medvedev in the first round at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
Bonzi has flashed some of that talent in his three previous matches with Sinner. While he lost all three, he pushed two of them to a deciding set. All of them came before Sinner rose to No. 1 in the world, so taking another set will be a tougher ask this time, especially in Madrid’s fairly fast conditions. Sinner has never gone deep at this tournament; unfortunately for Bonzi, that will likely make him more motivated to do it this time. Winner: Sinner
Gauff’s Clay Court Season
We’ve heard a lot about Iga Swiatek this clay season. We’ve seen Elena Rybakina make an impressive title march in Stuttgart. We’re anticipating Aryna Sabalenka’s return. But what about the defending Roland Garros champ?
She’s been pretty quiet so far. Gauff won a match in Stuttgart last week, then saw her perfect record against Karolina Muchova come to an end. Now the rubber hits the road. Or the sneaker hits the clay.
Over the next seven weeks, Gauff will be defending finalist’s points in Madrid and Rome, and champion’s points in Paris. She found her A game during the clay swing last year; to keep her No. 3 ranking, she’ll have to do it again. Her run to the final in Miami, where she played something close to her best, was a good sign.
Gauff v Jeanjean
Gauff will begin against Jeanjean, a 30-year-old Frenchwoman with a career-high ranking of 91. They’ve played once before, at the US Open in 2022, and Gauff won 6-2, 6-3. Jeanjean had a couple of decent wins in qualifying, over Vekic and Masarova. But unless Gauff’s serve goes sideways again, she’ll have too much pace and speed for her. Winner: Gauff
For the second time in three nights, a 19-year-old rookie gets the prime evening slot in the Caja Magica.
Not that anyone should complain.