🎾 ATP Madrid: Matteo Arnaldi vs Frances Tiafoe – Match Preview
🧠 Form & Context
🇮🇹 Matteo Arnaldi
- Breakthrough Week: Recovered from a first-set loss to Borna Coric and followed it up with a stunning upset of Novak Djokovic in straight sets and a smooth third-round win.
- Momentum Shift: Entered Madrid on a three-match losing streak but has now won six straight sets—his best stretch of tennis this season.
- Mental Turnaround: Struggled in close matches earlier this year, which pushed him near the top-50 cutoff, but this Masters run has steadied both his ranking and confidence.
- Masters Experience: Reaches his third R16 at this level (1-1 overall), having won in Montreal last year and lost in Miami.
🇺🇸 Frances Tiafoe
- Fortunate Run: Benefited from Luciano Darderi’s retirement and then edged Alexandre Muller in three sets to reach his second Madrid R16 (first was 2019).
- Red Clay Struggles: Historically modest success on this surface, with Estoril 2023 the only red clay title on his résumé.
- Recent Masters R16 Record: Won his last three R16 matches at Masters events, but all came on hard courts—none on clay.
- Confidence Builder: Though the draw has opened up, this run offers Tiafoe valuable rhythm at a time when his 2025 form has been inconsistent.
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