The Madrid Masters is heating up on Monday, with defending champion Casper Ruud taking on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Daniil Medvedev going up against teenager Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.
(20) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. (12) Casper Ruud
This is a nice, juicy third-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open. No. 20 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has split wins at 3 apiece with Monday opponent Casper Ruud. Davidovich Fokina has been slightly off the boil this year, although he recently advanced to the round of 16 in Indian Wells. The Spaniard lost in the third round of Madrid last year to Alexander Zverev, but he pushed the top seed hard.
The quicker conditions suit ADF’s baseline game well. That he runs into Ruud is a bit of bad luck for the world No. 24. Ruud is the defending champion and he absolutely dismantled Jaume Munar in the second round. Given their respective forms, it’s hard to pick against the Norwegian.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 3
Ricky pick: Ruud in 2
(7) Daniil Medvedev vs. (Q) Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Of all the matches on Monday’s docket, this is the one that offers the most uncertainty — insofar as teenager Nicolai Budkov Kjaer is a largely untested player with a great deal of potential but minimal experience. He made the semifinals at the ATP NextGen event last fall but came into this week with an 0-4 record at the ATP level in 2026.
Daniil Medvedev has produced quite a good season, although he was double-bageled by Matteo Berrettini in his opening match in Monte-Carlo a couple of weeks ago. He is famously critical of clay-court tennis in general, but he came somewhat out of nowhere to win the Rome Masters in 2023. I have to pick with experience, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see an upset.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 3
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2