Madrid Masters 2023 Day 3: Men's Singles Predictions, ft. Dominic Thiem vs Kyle Edmund

The third day of main draw action at the Madrid Masters on Thursday will feature 16 first-round men's singles matches. Two wildcards and seven qualifiers will be in action at the Masters 1000 tournament.

On Wednesday, the likes of Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Roberto Carballes Baena emerged victorious, beating Ilya Ivashka and David Goffin, respectively. Gregoire Barrere, Quentin Halys and Yannick Hanfmann were some of the other victors on the day.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four first-round matches in Madrid could pan out:

#1 Dominic Thiem (Former Madrid Masters finalist) vs Kyle Edmund

Kyle Edmund

Wildcard Dominic Thiem takes on Kyle Edmund, playing with a protected ranking, for a place in the second round of the Madrid Masters.

World No. 93 Thiem is 6-11 on the season and is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Munich last week. Meanwhile, the 498th-ranked Edmund is winless in five matches this year.

The two-time Madrid Masters runner-up (2017 and 2018) took the pair's lone meeting in the Round of 32 at Barcelona six years ago and should prevail again.

Pick: Thiem in straight sets

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#2 Lorenzo Sonego vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Lorenzo Sonego

Lorenzo Sonego opens his campaign at the Madrid Masters against lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff.

The 47th-ranked Sonego is 10-11 on the season, including 2-2 on clay, and is coming off a second-round run in Munich. Meanwhile, World No. 65 Struff is 5-6 in 2023, including a first-round exit in Munich.

Sonego took their lone meeting in the Stuttgart second round last year and should win again.

Pick Sonego in three sets

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#3 Mackenzie McDonald vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Mackenzie McDonald

Mackenzie McDonald takes on Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles in an all-unseeded Madrid Masters first-round clash.

World No. 54 McDonald is 14-10 on the season and is coming off an opening-round loss at Barcelona. Meanwhile, the 42nd-ranked Zapata Miralles is 10-10 in 2023 and reached the second round at Barcelona last week.

Zapata Miralles should take this first-time meeting due to his superior pedigree on clay.

Pick: Zapata Miralles in straight sets

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#4 J.J. Wolf vs Alexander Shevchenko

J.J. Wolf in action

J.J. Wolf will look to get underway at the Caja Magica against qualifier Alexander Shevchenko.

World No. 49 Wolf is 11-8 in 2023 and reached the Houston quarterfinals in his last outing. Meanwhile, the 96th-ranked Shevchenko has won only one of his three matches this year. His solitary win came in the Barcelona Open opening round last week.

This is a first-time meeting, but the American should reign supreme despite his limited pedigree on clay.

Pick: Wolf in straight sets