Monday's tennis acca: Rafael Nadal to take another big comeback step

Rafael Nadal gets back to work on his comeback on Monday as he faces Argentina's Pedro Cachin.

Nadal progressed through a clash with No 10 seed Alex De Minaur in the Round of 64, reversing the result from their Barcelona meeting.

All eyes will be on the Spanish icon to see if he can get back into championship shape before the French Open.

Here we make our picks for that match and a handful more on Monday 29 April.

 

ATP Madrid: Cameron Norrie vs Casper Ruud | Pick: Ruud

ATP Madrid: Rafael Nadal vs Pedro Cachin | 

ATP Madrid: Flavio Cobolli vs Karen Khachanov

ATP Madrid: Jannik Sinner vs Pavel Kotov

WTA Madrid: Coco Gauff vs Madison Keys

WTA Madrid: Sara Bejlek vs Elena Rybakina

WTA Madrid: Yulia Putintseva vs Daria Kasatkina

WTA Madrid: Danielle Rose Collins vs Aryna Sabalenka

 

Planet Sport Bet offer: Place a £5+ cash all correct accumulator (Min. 5 selections) on tennis and get up to a 50% BONUS on your winnings

 

ATP Madrid: Cameron Norrie vs Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud leads the head-to-head between himself and Cameron Norrie by 3-1 and continues a winning streak in Madrid.

Ruud won his first ATP 500 title in Barcelona and is out to put together the Spanish double.

Stringing wins together has been a big problem for Norrie this season.

Norrie did beat Ruud at the Australian Open earlier this season in their last meeting but will be hard-pressed to repeat the feat on the clay of Madrid.

 

ATP Madrid: Rafael Nadal vs Pedro Cachin

Nadal sparked real excitement with his dismissal of Alex de Minaur but the Madrid Open isn't won in the third round.

The Spaniard appears to have a step-by-step approach and he shouldn't get ahead of himself.

Cachin has a big opportunity to cause an upset here and slide into the round of 16 at a Masters event.

Nadal at his best is unbeatable in Madrid and he might not be there yet but he should extend his run into the second week.

 

ATP Madrid: Flavio Cobolli vs Karen Khachanov

Flavio Cobolli has worked hard to secure a pair of good wins in Madrid but the grind might not be enough when he faces Karen Khachanov.

Khachanov fought back from a set down to send home hope Roberto Bautista Agut packing in the Round of 64.

Cobolli spent over four hours on court in getting through matches against handy clay courters in Chileans Alejandro Tabilo and Nicolas Jarry.

This will be the first clash between these players in ATP Tour singles action.

 

ATP Madrid: Jannik Sinner vs Pavel Kotov

Jannik Sinner looked every bit the Madrid Open favourite when he blew past compatriot Lorenzo Sonego to book his place in the Round of 32.

Sinner is set for a first career meeting with the world no 72 Pavel Kotov on Monday afternoon in Madrid.

Other top players have made Sinner their favourite for the Madrid Open to go with his Australian Open, Miami and Rotterdam titles.

Kotov is 9-8 this season and on paper, he is not really in the frame to defeat Sinner but the match won't be played on paper.

 

WTA Madrid: Coco Gauff vs Madison Keys

Coco Gauff and American countrywoman Madison Keys will share the court for a fifth time when they meet at the Madrid Open.

Keys and Gauff have evenly split their four meetings with the former winning their first and most recent encounters.

This match will be their first meeting on clay with three previous matches on hard courts and one on grass.

Playing on clay will give Gauff an edge over her opponent with her game better suited to the red stuff.

 

WTA Madrid: Sara Bejlek vs Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina has stayed in the hunt for the No 2 ranking but will be more focused on seeing off Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek.

Beljek has already played five matches in Madrid including a pair of qualifiers and spent close to seven and a half hours on court.

Rybakina will want to make sure Beljek doesn't spend too much longer out in the spring sun in Madrid.

This will be the first match between these players and appears to be a mismatch with Rybakina heavily favoured.

 

WTA Madrid: Yulia Putintseva vs Daria Kasatkina

Russian-born Yulia Putintseva takes on Russian No 10 seed Daria Kasatkina in Madrid's third round.

Kasatkina has struggled to find her best form this year after a decent 2023.

However, Kasatkina holds the lead in the head-to-head between these players and is having a marginally better season than her rival.

Both players have endured tough matches so far and this one could go the distance.

 

WTA Madrid: Danielle Collins vs Aryna Sabalenka

Danielle Collins faces the biggest test of her winning streak when she takes on world No 2 and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka is the defending champion in Madrid and one of the big favourites to walk away with the title.

Collins has pulled off some upsets in recent weeks but this one could stretch her to breaking.

Collins has not beaten Sabalenka in four WTA Tour meetings but they haven't played against each other since the 2022 US Open.