Three to See, Madrid Day 5: Gauff vs. Halep; Jabeur vs. Bencic; Murray vs. Thiem
Can two-time Madrid champion Halep continue her momentum as she takes on Gauff? Meanwhile, a duel between past Grand Slam champions Murray and Thiem highlights the second day of ATP action.
WATCH: Highlights from Coco Gauff's second-round win over Yulia Putinseva in the 2022 Madrid Open.
Ons Jabeur vs. Belinda Bencic
While the men are just getting underway in Madrid, the women are already at a stage where the seeds should be facing off—that is, if there were many left. Jabeur and Bencic will surely realize the opportunity they have in front of them, after so much early-round carnage. At No. 8, Jabeur is the highest seed still alive in the draw, and at No. 11, Bencic is the third-highest. Which might make this match, despite being scheduled on the Caja Magica’s second show court, feel a little like the final that the Swiss and the Tunisian staged last month in Charleston. Bencic won in three eventful sets that day, and she also won when they met in Madrid in 2021. This probably won’t be straightforward, but I’m going to say Jabeur is due. Winner: Jabeur
Coco Gauff vs. Simona Halep
Yes, there are a lot of WTA seeds out in Madrid, but there are still some well-known names, most prominently Halep’s. As a two-time champion in Madrid, the Romanian enjoys this tournament like few others, and so far she seems happy with her new partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou. Halep took care of No. 2 seed Paula Badosa without a problem this weekend. She has also taken care of Gauff in straight-set fashion in both of their previous meetings. But Coco played with confidence when it counted in her close win over Yulia Putintseva on Saturday. Winner: Halep
Andy Murray vs. Dominic Thiem
The night session in Santana kicks off with this duel of past Grand Slam champions. Murray is 34 and ranked 81st; Thiem is 28 and ranked 93rd, despite not having won a match in nearly 12 months. For once, Murray will be the player who is farther along in his comeback, and presumably closer to being in form, than his opponent. The Brit and the Austrian should feel a little more comfortable in Madrid, which has been a happy hunting ground for them: Murray won the title in 2015; Thiem reached the finals in 2017 and 2018. They stand at 2-2 in their head-to-head, which makes this a tough one to pick: Thiem is the better clay-courter, but Murray has had much more match play in recent months. Either way, fans should be pleased to see them; let’s hope they give us a reason to believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Winner: Thiem