No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev will continue his Madrid Masters 1000 campaign against Terence Atmane during third-round action on Monday. The winner will face either Karen Khachanov or Jakub Mensik.
Terence Atmane vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
Atmane’s second-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open was an absolute circus. Over the last 20 or 30 minutes against fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert, Atmane — dealing with leg cramps — was screaming in agony in between points, not moving well during points, and even rolling around on the clay in misery on more than one occasion. Somehow, though, Atmane managed to prevail 7-6(3), 7-6(5) — with plenty of help from Humbert. Thus continues a nice spring stretch for the world No. 47, who reached the fourth round in Miami and kicked things off in Madrid with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Miomir Kecmanovic.
Up next for Atmane on Monday is a first-ever showdown against Zverev, who was also tested on Saturday but scraped past Mariano Navone 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The third-ranked German is now an amazing 26-6 lifetime in Madrid with two titles (2018, 2021) and one runner-up performance (2022). Given how well Zverev plays at the Caja Magica in addition to Atmane’s physical tribulations, this will likely be one-way traffic.
Pick: Zverev in 2
(13) Karen Khachanov vs. (23) Jakub Mensik
Khachanov and Mensik will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Monday. Both of their previous meetings have gone Khachanov’s way — 7-6(12), 6-4 in the 2024 Doha final and 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. The world No. 16 could really use another win, because his 2026 campaign has been mediocre at best so far. In fact, he still has a losing record (8-9) after defeating Adam Walton 6-2, 6-3 in round two.
Mensik peaked as high as No. 12 in the world but now finds himself at No. 27 after 1000 points from his 2025 Miami triumph came off the board. The 20-year-old Czech is a stellar 16-6 this season, but injuries have continued to be a problem. He missed the first two weeks of the clay-court swing with an abdominal issue before returning to beat Martin Damm 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday. Mensik has a higher ceiling than Khachanov but also a lower floor, so the edge may go to the Russian when neither man is playing his best tennis.
Pick: Khachanov in 3