2024 Madrid Open Saturday SCHEDULE and PREVIEW including NADAL-DE MINAUR, SINNER, SWIATEK, GAUFF and RUUD

The Madrid Open continues on Saturday with a superb schedule of play set featuring many of the top names involved in this year's tournament at the Caja Magica from both ends of the draw.

Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud are among the lead attractions and they all play on Manolo Santana so if you've got a ticket for that, you are certainly in for a treat.

Rafael Nadal will lead the way once again on Saturday albeit with a poor record against his next opponent. That being Alex de Minaur, a player with Spanish roots who still lives in the country so someone who is adept to the surface and also has no fear. After beating Novak Djokovic for the first time earlier this season, he launched himself past the Spanish kingpin in Barcelona. It was a fairly one sided affair too with De Minaur now at 2-0 in terms of Head-to-Head.

Given the last result, it could be said that De Minaur will be heavy favourite. While Jannik Sinner will open his account for the tournament when he takes on Lorenzo Sonego prior to that. The best player in the world apart from in the view of the player himself, Sinner has been exceptional this season. He heads into the Madrid Open with a golden chance to head towards the World Number One spot and with most other players faltering, it could be said that he has a good chance of doing just that.

Opening proceedings will be Iga Swiatek. She takes on Sorana Cirstea bookending two ties between WTA players in which their opening wins came in the blink of an eye. The other being Coco Gauff who opens the night session and brutally defeated Arantxa Rus earlier this week. She faces one of the stars of the Australian Open in Dayana Yastremska. Casper Ruud ends proceedings in the dead of night. The Barcelona Open champion will face Miomir Kecmanovic aiming to continue his wonderous form.

The same can be said for Stefanos Tsitsipas who opens in a double Greek foray on Arantxa Sanchez. It is him v Thiago Monteiro followed by Maria Sakkari facing Sloane Stephens. Then one of the ties of the day from a WTA angle as Ons Jabeur faces Leylah Fernandez. Coming through for her first win in a while, that will hopefully be a confidence boost for Jabeur but she faces a formidable player on this surface in the Canadian. Victoria Azarenka, Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov among others are involved with a top tie seed wise of Beatriz Haddad Maia v Emma Navarro thus that it is dumped to the last court on the schedule. A real stacked Saturday upon us.

(1) Iga Swiatek (POL) v (27) Sorana Cirstea (ROU) (WTA)

(1) Jannik Sinner (ITA) v Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) (ATP)

(10) Alex de Minaur (AUS) v (PR) Rafael Nadal (ESP) (ATP)

Not before 8:00pm - (3) Coco Gauff (USA) v (31) Dayana Yastremska (UKR) (WTA)

Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) v (5) Casper Ruud (ATP)

(Q) Thiago Monteiro (BRA) v (6) Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

Not before 1:00pm - Sloane Stephens (USA) v (5) Maria Sakkari (GRE)

(32) Leylah Fernandez (CAN) v (8) Ons Jabeur (TUN) (WTA)

(18) Madison Keys (USA) v (15) Liudmila Samsonova (WTA)

(LL) Roberto Bautista Agut v (16) Karen Khachanov (ATP)

(23) Victoria Azarenka v Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) (WTA)

(9) Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) v (Q) Maria Lourdes Carle (ARG) (WTA)

(3) Daniil Medvedev v Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) (ATP)

(9) Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) v Jakub Mensik (CZE) (ATP)

(29) Cameron Norrie (GBR) v Joao Fonseca (BRA) (ATP)

Max Purcell (AUS) v Sebastian Korda (USA) (ATP)

Pedro Cachin (ARG) v (20) Frances Tiafoe (USA) (ATP)

(17) Alexander Bublik (KAZ) v Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) (ATP)

Tomas Machac (CZE) v (14) Ben Shelton (USA) (ATP)

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) v (19) Adrian Mannarino (FRA)

(30) Jiri Lehecka (CZE) v (Q) Hamad Medjedovic (SRB) (ATP)

Pavel Kotov v (32) Jordan Thompson (AUS) (ATP)

(11) Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) v (19) Emma Navarro (USA) (WTA)

(22) Nicolas Jarry (CHI) v Flavio Cobolli (ITA) (ATP)