The first thing to know about the Madrid Open 2026 is who isn't there. Carlos Alcaraz — whose home tournament this technically is — withdrew before the first ball was struck, his right wrist injury ending any chance of playing in front of his own crowd at the Caja Mágica. Novak Djokovic's shoulder kept him home in Belgrade. Then Iga Swiatek, the fourth seed and a former champion here, retired mid-match in the third round with a viral illness.
Three of the biggest names in tennis, gone before the quarterfinals. The tournament carries on regardless, and the second week is shaping up to be genuinely interesting.
Sinner through, but not on autopilot
Jannik Sinner is in the fourth round, but his match against Benjamin Bonzi went three sets and required more work than his recent run of form suggested. "I struggled quite a lot," Sinner said afterward. That's unusually candid for a man in the middle of a 22-match winning streak at Masters level — and a useful reminder that form streaks don't mean every match is straightforward.
He now faces Britain's Cam Norrie in the fourth round. Slow clay at altitude, against a player who retrieves everything and makes you earn every point. Not a free ride.
The night Madrid had been waiting for
Saturday night's main event was Rafael Jodar versus João Fonseca. Jodar is 19, born in Madrid, given a wild card by the tournament. Fonseca is the Brazilian teenager who has been the most-discussed young player on tour since his victories over top-10 opponents last season.
Jodar won 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1. He took the first set in a tiebreak, dropped the second, then dominated the third in front of 12,500 people who were very much on his side. The final set wasn't close — he played the better tennis when it counted, on his home court, and the crowd let him know exactly how they felt about it.
Fonseca, seeded 27th, is a legitimately dangerous player on any surface. Jodar beating him here is the kind of result you file away for later, when he's inside the top 30 and you remember exactly where it started.
The day the seeds had a bad time
Day three was difficult for the draw. Ben Shelton, ranked sixth in the world and one of the most physically imposing players on tour, lost to Dino Prizmic — a 20-year-old Croatian qualifier — 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. Prizmic had won three qualifying matches just to get into the main draw. Beating a top-10 player in three tight sets on clay is a serious result by any measure.
Andrey Rublev, the ninth seed, went down 6-3, 6-4 to Vít Kopřiva. Alex De Minaur, who had been among the quieter picks for the second week, is also out. The bottom half of the draw has opened up.
What's happening on the women's side
Swiatek's retirement against Ann Li was the headline. She'd played two solid rounds, then fell ill mid-third set and had to stop. For a player still rebuilding some consistency after a difficult few months, another early exit is another setback.
Aryna Sabalenka, three-time Madrid champion, beat Naomi Osaka and remains on course in her half of the draw. Coco Gauff, the defending French Open champion, is through her section and looks sharp. Mirra Andreeva, 19 years old and now inside the top 10, is generating the quiet excitement of someone who feels like they're about to do something in this tournament.
Where things stand
The final is May 3. Sinner is the logical pick to take the ATP title, though the upsets of the first week suggest the draw is alive. On the women's side, Sabalenka's record here gives her the edge, but Gauff and Andreeva both have realistic paths to the final.
The bigger story has already shifted to Paris. With Alcaraz out of Roland Garros and Djokovic's participation still unclear, whoever wins here heads to the French Open with momentum and an open draw. Sinner, right now, is ahead of everyone else in both of those departments.
