Zverev, Fritz, Mensik make fast starts in Madrid

Alexander Zverev made a stylish start to his quest for a third Mutua Madrid Open title on Friday, when he extended his winning streak to six matches.

The top seed, who triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 in 2018 and 2021, powered past Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2. Arriving in the Spanish capital on the back of lifting his first trophy of the season in Munich, Zverev showed no signs of losing that momentum with a resounding display to reach the third round in just 69 minutes.

“[It was] a good match, I knew I had to focus against Roberto,” said Zverev, who improved to 24-5 in Madrid. “I knew that it was going to be a tough challenge, and I’m very happy with the win."

Top seed, top form 🔝

Two-time champion @AlexZverev is looking STRONG!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/7SdcURxVIf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 25, 2025

Zverev was dominant in all departments during Friday’s second-round clash. The 28-year-old won 81 per cent (22/27) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and fired 32 winners to Bautista Agut’s 4.

“This is my favourite centre court in the world, I only lost twice here in my entire life," said Zverev, who next faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. "I hope that stays the way throughout the next 10 days and that I can continue playing good tennis. As long as I do that I’m happy.”

Davidovich Fokina, the last Spaniard remaining in Madrid, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Nuno Borges.

Third seed Taylor Fritz marked his return to ATP Tour action with an assured 6-1, 6-4 victory over Christopher O’Connell. The American has been nursing an abdominal injury since February, and it flared up again last month, forcing him out of action after his semi-final run in Miami. Yet Fritz moved well and struck cleanly in his first clay-court match since the Paris Olympics last year to advance to the third round in Madrid.

“It feels great to come back and play a really solid match,” said Fritz. “I didn’t want to jinx it before the match, but I was telling my coach that I was really impressed with how my level has been in practice the last couple of days.

“The first ball I hit since the match I lost in Miami was the day before I flew here, so I had three weeks of nothing, then five days of tennis. I’m super happy I can come out and produce that level on the little bit of prep I had.”

Fritz, who now owns a 15-6 record in 2025, will continue his Madrid campaign against Benjamin Bonzi, who moved past Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-5. Fritz will be eager to build on his momentum in the Spanish capital, where he reached the semi-finals last year before falling to eventual champion Andrey Rublev.

#NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik claimed his first win since triumphing at the Masters 1000 in Miami last month by moving past American qualifier Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-1. The 19-year-old slammed 14 aces and won 75 per cent (33/44) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, during their 80-minute clash.

Mensik, who is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, will next face 12th seed Ben Shelton.

The American Shelton rallied past Mariano Navone 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 after two hours and 19 minutes, during which the Argentine served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But in that crucial game, Shelton struck a booming forehand pass that brought the Stadium 3 crowd to their feet. The 22-year-old found new energy and carried that momentum to the finish line, breaking to love at 3-3 in the deciding set en route to closing out the match.

The Munich finalist improved to 3-0 against Navone in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and 10-0 against Argentines across all levels. 

Casper Ruud made a winning start in his aim to return inside the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Arthur Rinderknech. The Norwegian, who dropped outside the Top 10 for the first time since February last year, improved to 4-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Frenchman and is up to No. 14 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Watch Extended Highlights from Friday in Madrid

Daniil Medvedev earlier advanced to the third round after Laslo Djere withdrew prior to their clash with a left shoulder injury. The 29-year-old will next play Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who ousted last year’s runner-up Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(5), 6-4. With his defeat, Auger-Aliassime dropped seven spots to No. 26 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings 

Francisco Comesana and Francisco Cerundolo made it a trio of Argentine successes on Friday morning in the Spanish capital, where they set a third-round contest. Comesana rallied from 1-5 in the first set to earn a thrilling 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over 13th seed Arthur Fils, while Cerundolo eased past qualifier Harold Mayot 6-3, 6-4.

Holger Rune retired due to injury with Italian Flavio Cobolli leading 6-2. The champion at last week’s ATP 500 event in Barcelona, Rune called a medical timeout at 2-3 and received treatment on his right thigh.