The Madrid Masters heats up on Sunday with Casper Ruud and Sebastian Korda squaring off in round-three action. Brandon Nakashima will also be taking the court against Flavio Cobolli as they seek a spot in the last 16.
(14) Casper Ruud vs. (23) Sebastian Korda
Surprisingly, this will be the first encounter between Casper Ruud and Sebastian Korda. The two men were slated to meet at last year’s Canadian Open, but Ruud withdrew before the match. Ruud, who is a three-time Grand Slam finalist, has come up a bit short this year so far. The former world No. 2 is now ranked 14th and he has no titles in 2025. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all, though, are his tepid results on clay so far.
Ruud has 12 career titles–11 of them have come on the dirt. But he came into Madrid with three match wins in two events. The Norwegian comfortably dispatched Arthur Rinderknech in the second round, but he’ll likely face a sterner test from the likes of Sebastian Korda.
Korda’s performance at the Miami Masters pulled an otherwise disastrous season out of the fire. Even with his quarterfinal showing there, he still came into Madrid with a 7-7 record. The American hasn’t made any noise on European clay this year, but he is capable of doing so (one of his two career titles came on clay back in 2021). There’s little to suggest that Korda is in the sort of form required to upset Ruud. Look for the No. 14 seed to advance.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 3
Ricky pick: Korda in 3
(31) Brandon Nakashima vs. Flavio Cobolli
American Brandon Nakashima has played a full schedule this year; the world No. 32 has already competed in 11 tournaments. He had a good showing during the spring North American hardcourt swing, but since he has gone across the pond it has been opening losses in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Nakashima defeated Sebastian Ofner to earn his spot in third round this fortnight.
Falvio Cobolli has had some wild results of late. The world No. 36 posted exactly two match wins heading into Bucharest last month. He was able to take advantage of a wide-open draw to nab the title and is now 7-10 on the season. Cobolli has never faced Nakashima before. The Italian is probably a little more confident at the moment, owing to his recent performance in Romania, but Nakashima may still have some chances in this one.
Cheryl pick: Cobolli in 3
Ricky pick: Cobolli in 3
