After two wins indoors, Alexander Zverev won his third straight match against Rafael Nadal, this time doing it on Rafa’s favorite surface and in front of his home fans.

Nadal was ahead early by Zverev stayed composed, proved the more aggressive player and cruised to a fairly routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nadal.

Nadal began the match muscling his was ahead 4-2 with a break and in firm control. But the German, …

Rafael Nadal rolled into his 15th career home Madrid Masters quarterfinals thumping Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3.

Nadal, who was won the Madrid clay title four times, blunted the Australian’s big serve breaking him four times.

Nadal has now won his last seven matches and improves to 13-2 on the season.

“It was difficult. The court today was slippery, it was very fast, very dry conditions. The ball was flying a lot. The beginning …

Two of the hottest players this clay season will meet in the biggest women’s clay court final thus far, the Madrid Masters final on Saturday.

The World No. 1 Barty won her 16th straight match on red clay dismissing Spanish hope Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 in a comprehensive victory.

Badosa stunned the Australian last month in Chaleston, but playing today in her biggest career semifinal, the 23-year-old double fault the first set …

Roger Federer is on track for a return later this month at his home Geneva event and then the French Open. Federer, who has played just one event this year — a loss in the second round of Doha to Nikolaz Basilashvili —

Last month, the Swiss announced that Geneva and the French Open would comprise his clay season.

“Hi everyone! Happy to let you know that I will play …

The much-anticipated inter-generational showdown between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz failed to live up the hype as Rafa rolled 6-1, 6-2 at the Madrid Masters on Wednesday.

Alcaraz came out swinging early on, going toe-to-toe with the King of Clay. Celebrating his 18th birthday, Alcaraz enjoyed a quick break point, but failed to convert. Then got broken to go down 2-0 and in the third game needed the trainer after tweaking …

Ash Barty continues to win. The World No. 1 improved her almost-2 year win streak to 15 on the red clay after beating Petra Kvitova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Kvitova was a 3-time Madrid champion and had beaten Barty in their last meeting, but on the clay the Australian held the advantage and stormed out early as the Czech was in a giving move in terms of errors.

Kvitova upped her level in …

Two-time champion Simona Halep was eliminated in the third round at the Madrid Masters by Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in just over 2.5 hours on Tuesday.

Halep, who won the Madrid title in 2016-17 and made the final in 2019, was up a set and a break over the Belgium leading 4-3. Mertens also overcame a break down in the third to collect her second career win over Halep and …

Dominic Thiem showed no signs of rust in his first match in almost two months Tuesday at the Madrid Masters, crushing Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-3.

Thiem, a 2-time Madrid finalist, displayed his trademark heavy forehand and backhand, and was in complete control over the American who went nearly 3.5 hours yesterday.

“Definitely I was uncertain how things will be going,” Thiem said. “The game worked out very well in the last days …

Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz will get his wish. On Wednesday, the day of his 18th birthday, Alcaraz will take on the Rafael Nadal on center court at the Madrid Masters.

The youngster fought through a tough first set then blew away French veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0 to set up the huge generational battle in two days.

The 17-year-old who has been one of the breakthrough stories of 2021 becomes the youngster …

Ash Barty showed her class in a big Monday showdown against Iga Swiatek. In the battle of the last two French Open winners, it was Swiatek jumping out early 3-0 before Barty asserted her game and pulled away with a solid 7-5, 6-4 victory.

Swiatek had chances to level in the second but Barty stays so strong and so calm in the big moments.

“I was excited,” Barty said of facing Swiatek. …

After his first win in six months last week in a Barcelona marathon victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal returns as the home favorite this week in Madrid. But due to the altitude, he’s only won the Madrid clay version of the event four times and just once in his last five tries.

“Is the most difficult event for me, everybody knows,” Nadal said. “But at the same time is …

Daniil Medvedev’s bar for success on the clay is quite low for a Top 3 player. The Russian who has had his struggles on clay says his goal is to just win one match at each of the next three clay events in Madrid, Rome and at the French Open.

“I always said for me it’s always step by step,” Medvedev said. “So the goal actually for all three tournaments, Rome, …

Just four matches kicked off the men’s draw of the 2021 Madrid Masters. Denis Shapovalov led the way with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory over Dusan Lajovic.

“Just definitely felt a lot better today,” Shapovalov said. “I felt very good on the court. Yeah, I mean, I’m just happy to get the first win.”

Shapovalov came in having won just two of his last six matches. And the 37th-ranked Lajovic is a …

Playing just her second match on clay in two years, Naomi Osaka exited the Madrid Masters on Sunday falling to Karolina Muchova in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Osaka was down big in all three sets, but only managed the second against the Czech who collected her third Top 10 win of 2021.

“I think what I can take away from this is that I tried my best throughout the entire match, …

Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t shy about being the leader in the 2021 ATP points Race. The Greek has been the most consistent player on the season, and on the clay he’s won nine of 10 losing only to Rafael Nadal in the Barcelona final after holding match point and a Monte Carlo title over Andrey Rublev.

Tsitsipas, though, wants more.

“I’m really pumped for this week, for the next week as …