The opening day of the Mutua Madrid Open delivered exactly the kind of clay-court drama tennis fans crave, culminating in a late-night battle between Spanish wildcard Rafael Jodar and the Netherlands’ Jesper De Jong, alongside impressive performances from seasoned veterans.
🇪🇸 Jodar Outlasts De Jong in a Clay-Court War
Playing under the lights with the backing of the home crowd, Rafael Jodar pushed the more experienced Dutchman to the absolute limit. The match began with De Jong completely in control, cruising through the opening set 6-2. However, the young Spaniard refused to fold. Jodar found his rhythm and turned the match into a grueling physical battle, snatching the second set 7-5.
Ultimately, Jodar found the crucial breakthrough in the deciding moments, taking the final set 6-4 to complete the comeback and advance to the second round.
🇷🇸 Lajovic Stuns Sonego in Straight Sets
In one of the most impressive upsets of the day, qualifier/lucky loser Dusan Lajovic eliminated Lorenzo Sonego with a clinical 6-3, 7-6 straight-sets victory.
The Serbian veteran put on a serving masterclass, winning 76% (31 of 41) of his first-serve points and an incredibly solid 74% (14 of 19) on his second serve. Lajovic played a remarkably clean tactical match, hitting 18 winners while committing only 16 unforced errors. In contrast, Sonego struggled to find his rhythm, racking up 27 unforced errors and converting only 1 of his 2 break point opportunities.
🇭🇷 Vintage Cilic Overcomes Bergs
Age is just a number for 39-year-old Marin Cilic. The Croatian veteran showed his trademark resilience, bouncing back from a set down to defeat the much younger Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Despite dropping the first set, Cilic relied heavily on his powerful serve to dictate the tempo of the match. He fired 9 aces and won a dominant 81% (34 of 42) of points behind his first serve. While Bergs hit 10 aces of his own, Cilic was significantly more effective on return, breaking the Belgian’s serve twice to secure the hard-fought victory.
🇫🇷 Bonzi Survives Droguet in French Derby Thriller
In an all-French marathon that lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes, Benjamin Bonzi edged past Titouan Droguet 2-6, 7-6, 6-4.
The match was a fierce serving contest. Droguet blasted 15 aces, but Bonzi proved to be exceptionally clutch under pressure. Bonzi saved 8 of the 9 break points he faced and successfully held 100% of his service games (17 of 17). Despite hitting fewer winners than Droguet (42 to 35), Bonzi’s tactical discipline in the crucial tiebreak and the final set earned him a well-deserved spot in the next round.
Don’t miss a single match! For the complete list of today’s results, updated draws, and tomorrow’s schedule, head over to our main ATP Madrid 2026: Daily Schedule & Live Results hub.
