British Trio Thrive in Madrid as Djokovic Falls
The Mutua Madrid Masters has witnessed a stunning upset with the elimination of Novak Djokovic, the Serbian star seeded fourth for the event, at the hands of Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi. The 22-year-old Italian claimed a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory over the former world No.1, who is still searching for his 100th title.
According to an interview with Tennis Threads, Arnaldi revealed that he was thrilled to have played his idol, saying: "He’s my idol, he’s always been… I was just glad that I could play him. I never played him, just practised with him. To play him at a stage like this was already a victory for me." Tennis Threads reported that Arnaldi’s win was a notable achievement, especially considering Djokovic’s impressive record in the tournament, having won it three times previously.
Arnaldi’s victory was a significant upset, and he admitted that Djokovic was not at his best: "He’s not at his best right now, so I came on court to try to play my best tennis and win, and it happened, so right now I don’t even know what to say." The world No.44 revealed that he tried to rally and make Djokovic make mistakes, saying: "I was just trying to rally a bit at the start, trying to make him [make] some mistakes."
The loss marks Djokovic’s third consecutive defeat, following his loss in the Miami final and his Monte-Carlo opener against Alejandro Tabilo. Meanwhile, British players Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley, and Cameron Norrie have all progressed to the third round, marking a successful day for British tennis.
Jack Draper, the British No.1, eased into the third round with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Tallon Griekspoor, setting up a meeting with Matteo Berrettini. Tennis Threads noted that Draper could potentially leapfrog Djokovic in the world rankings if he reaches the semi-finals. The 23-year-old Briton has yet to lose to Berrettini, but their previous meetings have not been on clay.
Fearnley and Norrie also made it to the third round, with Fearnley securing the best win of his career against Tomas Machak, 1-6 6-3 6-2. Norrie recovered from a set down to beat Jiri Lehecka 2-6 6-4 6-2, showing no signs of ill-effects from an illness that affected his opening match. As reported by Tennis Threads, Fearnley’s next opponent will be Grigor Dimitrov, while Norrie faces Gabriel Diallo.
In other action, Tommy Paul earned a hard-fought opening victory against Joao Fonseca, 7-6(7) 7-6(3), while Alex de Minaur maintained his form with a 6-2 6-3 win over Lorenzo Sonego. Stefanos Tsitsipas also recovered to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6 6-4 6-3, setting a third-round clash with Lorenzo Musetti.
The Mutua Madrid Masters continues to deliver surprises, with Djokovic’s early exit and the British trio’s success dominating the headlines. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on Draper, Fearnley, and Norrie as they aim to make their mark on the competition.
The results from the second round of the Mutua Madrid Masters are as follows:
- Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) def. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-3 6-4
- Jack Draper (GBR) def. Tallon Griekspoor (NED) 6-3 6-4
- Jacob Fearnley (GBR) def. Tomas Machak (CZE) 1-6 6-3 6-2
- Cameron Norrie (GBR) def. Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 2-6 6-4 6-2
- Tommy Paul (USA) def. Joao Fonseca (BRA) 7-6(7) 7-6(3)
- Alex de Minaur (AUS) def. Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 6-2 6-3
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) def. Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 3-6 6-4 6-3
These results were reported by Tennis Threads and provide an update on the current state of the Mutua Madrid Masters.
