Madrid Masters 2023 Day 7: Men's Singles Predictions, ft. Cameron Norrie vs Zhizhen Zhang

Modified Apr 30, 2023 14:58 GMT

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Six — Cameron Norrie will be in action on Monday.

The seventh day of main draw action at the Madrid Masters on Monday will feature eight third-round matches. Seven seeds, three qualifiers, and a lucky loser will be in action.

On Sunday, the likes of Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev, and Alexander Zverev emerged victorious, beating Roberto Bautista Agut, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Hugo Grenier, respectively, to move into the fourth round.

So, without further ado, here's how the following four third-round matches at the Madrid Masters could pan out on Monday:

#1 Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs Roman Safiullin

Bernabe Zapata Miralles takes on Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin as a place in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters beckons.

World No. 42 Zapata Miralles beat Mackenzie McDonald and 13th seed Daniel Evans to improve to 12-10 on the season. Meanwhile, the 112th-ranked Safiullin saw off Nicolas Jarry and 14th-seed Tommy Paul to move to 3-6 in 2023.

This is a first-time matchup, but expect the in-form Zapata Miralles to emerge victorious.

Pick: Zapata Miralles in straight sets

#2 Alex de Minaur vs Aslan Karatsev

Sixteenth seed Alex de Minaur locks horns with Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev for a place in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters.

The 19th-ranked De Minaur opened his campaign with a win against qualifier Marco Cecchinato to improve to 15-8 on the season. Meanwhile, World No. 121 Karatsev beat Laslo Djere and Munich finalist Botic van de Zandschulp to improve to 6-7 in 2023.

De Minaur won the pair's lone meeting in the Sofia Open second round in 2020 and should prevail again.

Pick: De Minaur in straight sets

#3 Cameron Norrie (Madrid Masters 11th seed) vs Zhizhen Zhang

Eleventh seed Cameron Norrie continues his Madrid Masters campaign against China's Zhizhen Zhang as he eyes a place in the Round of 16.

World No. 13 Norrie opened his campaign by beating Yosuke Watanuki for his 23rd win in 30 matches this season. Meanwhile, the 99th-ranked Zhang beat Jurij Rodionov and 21st-seed Denis Shapovalov to improve to 2-3 in 2023, his first two wins of the year.

The pair have never clashed before, but expect the in-form Norrie to take the win.

Pick: Norrie in straight sets

#4 Dusan Lajovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Srpska Open winner Dusan Lajovic takes on German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the Madrid Masters third round.

World No. 40 Lajovic - on a seven-match winning streak - beat Jason Kubler and seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to improve to 16-7 on the season. Meanwhile, the 65th-ranked Struff beat Lorenzo Sonego and 32nd-seed Ben Shelton to improve to 7-6 in 2023.

Struff has won the pair's three previous meetings - all on hardcourt - but expect the in-form Lajovic to take this claycourt tussle.

Pick: Lajovic in three sets

Edited by Akshay Saraswat