Blake Krass takes you through his predictions and best bets for the Friday slate at the 2026 Madrid Open.
The Madrid Open is wrapping up the Round of 64 on Friday. Here are the best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for the Thursday slate for both the ATP and WTA.
The 21-year-old American has played some good tennis this year. He made it to the Round of 16 at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Now, Alex Michelsen is trying to prove that he can be successful on clay as well. He is going up against an infinitely more experienced opponent, 35-year-old Jan-Lennard Struff. Struff has not been playing very well in 2026. He lost his first match at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open. In Monte-Carlo, he was upset in the qualifiers, not even making the main draw. Michelsen can play on clay, winning the 2025 Estoril Open on the Challenger Tour. The younger player in much better form should get the win, despite this not being his preferred surface.
Alex de Minaur has had a dreadful 2026 so far. He has only dropped from No. 6 to No. 8 in the world since the beginning of the year. However, the last few weeks have set off major alarm bells around the state of his game. De Minaur won the ATP Rotterdam, a great moment for him. However, he followed that tournament up by losing his opening match at the Mexican Open. He then lost his second match at Indian Wells and was upset in his first match in Miami. Last time out, he lost in the Barcelona Open to World No. 68 Hamad Medjedovic. De Minaur has never been a high-level clay player, and with his current form, he is on major upset alert.
Rafael Jodar is just 19 years old, but he is showing signs of being a great player. He is coming off an impressive trip to the semi-finals in Barcelona. In the tournament prior, he won an ATP 250 event, the Grand Prix Hassan II, for his first-ever ATP title. This is a rising star who, like many Spaniards before him, loves to play on clay. He has a great chance to get the first top-10 win of his career in this match.
Magdalena Frech is the No. 38 player in the world. She is taking on Solana Sierra, the No. 88 player in the world. This is a disrespectful line to Frech, to only be a -130 favorite in this match. Solana Sierra lost in the opening round or qualifiers at the Australian Open, Qatar Open, Dubai Championships, Miami Open and Charleston Open. She is undoubtedly a clay specialist, racking up titles on the ITF Circuit whenever they were on that surface. However, her current form is dreadful, and she does not seem ready for serious WTA competition, despite the surface. Frech is not in great form either, which explains this line. However, she has been a decent clay player over the years and should handle business against a far inferior player.
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