Monfils withdraws, sending Rublev into Madrid third round

Gael Monfils withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday due to illness, giving defending champion Andrey Rublev a walkover into the third round.

Monfils, who rallied to a three-set win against Borna Gojo in the opening round, leaves the clay-court event with a 16-6 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index. In January, the Frenchman won the ATP 250 in Auckland and became the oldest man to win a tour-level title since a 43-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1977.

Rublev will next meet Alexander Bublik, whom the seventh seed leads 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Their Madrid clash will mark their first encounter on clay.

The 27-year-old Rublev boasts an 11-9 season record, highlighted by his title run in Doha, where he beat Bublik in the opening round. A 17-time tour-level titlist, Rublev captured his second ATP Masters 1000 crown last year at the Caja Magica.

At No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Rublev needs to reach the Madrid final to avoid leaving the Top 10 for the first time since September 2022.