Madrid Open 2023 Day 5: Men's Singles Predictions, ft. Cameron Norrie vs Yosuke Watanuki

The fifth day of main draw action at the Madrid Open on Saturday will feature 16 second-round matches as the Round of 32 lineup gets set. Sixteen seeds, six qualifiers, one wildcard, and a lucky loser will be in action at the ATP Masters 1000 claycourt event.

On Friday, the likes of Andrey Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Arnaldi emerged victorious, beating Stan Wawrinka, Gregoire Barrere and third seed Casper Ruud, respectively.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four second-round matches could pan out in Madrid on Saturday:

#1 Denis Shapovalov vs Zhizhen Zhang

Denis Shapovalov

21st seed Denis Shapovalov gets his Madrid Open campaign underway against China's Zhizhen Zhang.

World No. 27 Shapovalov has had a difficult season, winning only seven of his 15 matches and reaching only one quarterfinal in eight tournaments. Meanwhile, the 99th-ranked Zhang (1-3) opened his account for the season by beating qualifier Jurij Rodionov in his opener.

The two players haven't clashed before, but Shapovalov should take this first-time matchup.

Pick: Shapovalov in straight sets

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#2 Daniel Evans vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Daniel Evans

19th seed Daniel Evans takes on Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles for a place in the third round of the Madrid Open.

World No. 24 Evans is 8-12 on the season, coming off a semifinal run at Barcelona last week. Meanwhile, the 42nd-ranked Zapata Miralles improved to 11-10 in 2023 by seeing off Mackenzie McDonald in his opener.

This is another first-time matchup, but the in-form Evans should take this one.

Pick: Evans in three sets

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#3 Cameron Norrie (Madrid Open 11th seed) vs Yosuke Watanuki

Yosuke Watanuki

11th seed Cameron Norrie opens his campaign at the Madrid Open against Japan's Yosuke Watanuki.

The 13th-ranked Norrie is 22-7 on the season, coming off a third-round run at Barcelona last week. Meanwhile, World No. 117 Watanuki improved to 3-3 in 2023 by beating Corentin Moutet in his opener.

Going by current form, the left-handed Norrie should emerge victorious in this first-time matchup.

Pick: Norrie in straight sets

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#4 Tommy Paul vs Roman Safiullin

Tommy Paul

14th seed Tommy Paul gets up and running at the Madrid Open against Russia's Roman Safiullin.

World No. 17 Paul, 16-7 in 2023, is making his European claycourt swing debut for the season. He's on a two-match losing streak. Meanwhile, the 112th-ranked Safiullin improved to 2-6 on the season by beating Nicolas Jarry in his opener.

The two players haven't clashed before, but Safiullin could take this one.

Pick: Safiullin in straight sets