2024 Madrid Open Men's Semi-Final Match Preview as Taylor FRITZ faces Andrey RUBLEV in battle of resurgent talents

The unexpected semifinal at the Madrid Open between Andrey Rublev (No. 8) and Taylor Fritz (No. 13) will produce a first-time finalist at Caja Magica.

Both will play on Friday, May 3rd, in the first men's semifinal, presenting a good opportunity for both players following the exits of favorites Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Before arriving in Madrid, Rublev was experiencing an inconsistent period, with three consecutive first-round defeats, including at the Monte-Carlo Masters where he was the defending champion. In recent weeks, the Russian seems to have regained his usual state of confidence to advance with good victories on the Spanish clay.

Rublev defeated Facundo Bagnis (No. 138), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (No. 28), Tallon Griekspoor (No. 25), and the 2-times defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) with an incredible comeback along the way.

Fritz is on a hot streak and is in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 on clay for the second time, following the 2023 Monte-Carlo event. A week ago, he reached the final of the BMW Munich Open and holds a record of 7-1 on the surface this season.

In Madrid, he debuted against Luciano Darderi (No. 60) and then defeated strong opponents on the surface such as Argentine clay specialists Sebastian Baez (No. 19) and Francisco Cerundolo (No. 22), in addition to his victory over Hubert Hurkacz (No. 9).

So far, the head-to-head between the two players favors Frtiz at 5-3. The American won their last encounter in the 2023 Laver Cup, although they have only faced each other once on clay, a match won by Rublev in the semifinals of Monte-Carlo before securing his only Masters 1000 title so far.

Fritz's only Masters 1000 title came at the 2022 Indian Wells, where interestingly he also defeated Rublev in the semifinals before facing Rafael Nadal in the final.