Carlos Alcaraz may be sidelined, but tennis fans in Spain will still have one of their own to back at the Madrid Masters.
Martín Landaluce, a native of the Spanish Capital, will take on Adam Walton in the first round of this French Open tuneup Thursday morning, and the atmosphere under the lights at The Caja Magica should be raucous.
Landaluce, with the crowd behind him, is a -480 favorite to advance past the Aussie.
The atmospheres at grand slams are their own beast, but there are very few venues in tennis that can get as rambunctious as “The Magic Box” when one of their own is competing on the red dirt. And Thursday’s headliner should be even rowdier, as Landaluce will have upwards of 30 family members in the stands.
That kind of atmosphere can be overwhelming for an opponent, but it also can heap some unneeded pressure on the home favorite.
Landaluce has enjoyed a bit of a breakout this season with a run to the quarterfinals at the Miami Masters in March, but he’s still only 20, and he’s 0-3 in this tournament in his young career.
It’s unfair to just assume he’ll be able to cope with a massive moment in his career.
That said, he shouldn’t have too many issues with Walton.
The Queenslander is your typical Aussie grinder, a player who relies on his relentless motor and athleticism to make up for a lack of a dynamic toolkit.
Walton has never had much success on clay, and his experience on the surface is limited to just eight matches since 2023, and only one this season.
That means that this match is really about Landaluce and the youngster’s ability to handle the spotlight.
Against a more experienced hand on the clay, I would be wary, but given Walton’s skillset and lack of success on the dirt, it’s worth backing the hometown hero to make this a night to remember at Caja Magica.
The Play: Martin Landaluce -1.5 sets (-136, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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