23/04 Madrid Open

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Today is Thursday, April 23, in Madrid it's 8:30 and it's 17 degrees. Ok, let's go.

Today for breakfast

• 🇮🇹 Italians out in bulk: Berrettini, Cinà, Sonego and Bellucci all knocked out in the first round
• 🇪🇸 Bautista Agut says goodbye to Madrid: last match on Manolo Santana after 26 appearances
• 🇵🇭 Eala starts strong: Pavlyuchenkova falls in straight sets
• 🇺🇸 Venus falls to Quevedo, first clay-court outing in five years
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka makes her debut today, defending her title

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST TWO DAYS:

🇮🇹 Italians Wiped Out In The First Round

Over two days the Italian tally is brutal: four entered the main draw, four are out. Matteo Berrettini lost 3-6 4-6 to Dino Prizmic, a Croatian born in 2005 who came through qualifying: a match with no margins, slow clay that never fired up his serve, and the sense of a clay-court season start still stuck in an in-between zone. Lorenzo Sonego lost 3-6 6-7 to Dusan Lajovic, world No. 138 out of qualifying, in just over an hour and a half: poor start, a bid to get back into it in the second, a bitter tiebreak. Mattia Bellucci, against Damir Dzumhur, faded fairly early: 2-6 4-6, the same opponent who had knocked him out here a year ago.

And then there's Federico Cinà, eighteen years old, wild card: he saved four match points in the second set, got to serve for the set at 6-5, wasted two set points and collapsed in the tiebreak against Denmark's Elmer Moller, ATP No. 169. For the kid from Palermo, it remains a match worth more than the scoreline, the kind that at 18 teaches you where the line between courage and composure runs. For the Italian group, the feeling is that on the slow clay of Madrid, right now, there's no player able to shift the momentum when things aren't going their way.

🇪🇸 Bautista Agut Says Goodbye To Madrid

Roberto Bautista Agut played his last match at the Mutua Madrid Open yesterday, and he lost it: 6-2 6-4 to Argentina's Thiago Agustín Tirante, on Manolo Santana, in front of family, friends and a Caja Mágica on its feet. The 38-year-old from Castellón announced in recent days that 2026 will be his final season, though it's not yet his absolute last match: he'll try Rome, the Valencia Challenger and Roland Garros, then decide depending on his body.

"I lived my dream, I played in the world's best tournaments": those were his words in front of a crowd that welcomed him as one of their own. Feliciano López and Garbiñe Muguruza handed him a commemorative plaque, recalling the 26 matches played at the Caja Mágica and the 2014 semifinal that definitively launched him into the top 15. Few players leave tennis without chasing one more title: Bautista chose the path of peace, after a career that always held together ordinary talent and extraordinary dedication. In Madrid, which has been home, he closed things out in front of those who watched him grow.

🇵🇭 Eala Dispatches Pavlyuchenkova Without A Hitch

Alex Eala won 6-3 6-3 against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on her main-draw debut, on the clay of the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario court. In the second round she'll face Elise Mertens, world No. 1 in doubles and the No. 19 singles seed.

The Filipina is building her season with the patience usually missing in those who get so much attention so early, and yesterday she showed a tidy brand of tennis, no forcing, with the backhand holding up the rally when needed. More than the result, what stands out is the way: no dips, no moments of excessive pressure-management.

🇺🇸 Venus Falls To Quevedo, The 20-Year-Old Spaniard

Kaitlin Quevedo, a 20-year-old Spanish wild card, beat Venus Williams 6-2 6-4 in the first round of the opening match of the women's draw, on Tuesday. It was Venus's first match on clay since Roland Garros five years ago, and the effort of finding rhythm and feel on such a specific surface inevitably showed.

It would be unfair to frame this loss as a verdict, because the line between a competitive return and simply "being there" is something only those who've played at certain levels can really calibrate. Venus is still inside a season in which she's trying to figure out what she still needs to feel like a player, and every match is a piece of that answer.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Sabalenka vs Stearns (WTA) - The Belarusian is defending her title and takes the stage in the afternoon on Manolo Santana. In a draw missing several seeds, her debut is the first real test of the women's tournament.
• Swiatek vs Snigur (WTA) - Iga is looking for a spark on clay after a dull start to the season. Also on Manolo Santana, not before 1:00 pm.
• Monfils vs Ugo Carabelli (ATP) - Gael Monfils, a wild card at 39, faces the Argentine today on court. A match that promises more spectacle than balance, and in Madrid the crowd usually plays along.
• Tsitsipas vs Kypson (ATP) - The Greek is trying to piece his feel back together after a complicated start to 2026. The American comes in as a lucky loser.

Go deeper

• Dino Prizmic tops Matteo Berrettini in Madrid, sets clash with Ben Shelton
• Madrid Open 2026, the Italians' results: Bellucci, Cinà and Sonego eliminated
• Roberto Bautista Agut says adios to Madrid: 'My dream came true'
• Madrid Open 2026: Alexandra Eala progresses to second round after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
• Madrid draw: What is Sabalenka's path to a fourth title at the Caja Mágica?

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 8:30 with TIE-Breakfast