Preview: Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner vs. Benjamin Bonzi - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Jannik Sinner begins his quest for another singles title on tour Friday when he faces Benjamin Bonzi in the round of 64 at the Madrid Open.

The top-ranked player on the men’s draw recently captured the ATP Masters in Monte Carlo by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, while Bonzi got to this stage thanks to a three-set triumph over Titouan Droguet.

Match preview

Fresh off another tournament victory, Jannik Sinner will be brimming with confidence heading into the Madrid Open on the back of three successive singles tournament victories.

The reigning Wimbledon champion will be competing at this event for the first time since 2024, when he reached the quarter-finals before Felix Auger-Aliassime beat him via a walkover.

So far this year, the Italian boasts an impressive 24-2 record on the singles draw, failing to lose an opening-round match on tour in 2026.

Dating back to last year, he has made the final of his last three singles tournaments played on clay, with that win over Alcaraz earlier this year being his only singles event victory on clay over that stretch.

On that surface this year Sinner has won 77% of his first-serve points, while winning an impressive 92% of his service games overall on clay.

At the same time, he has captured 71% of his service points on clay in 2026, while converting 54% of his break points to this stage of the year.

It has been a long road for Benjamin Bonzi to get to this phase of the Madrid Open, with the Frenchman overcoming a nervy three-set affair in the round of 128.

As a result, he can replicate his unexpected success at this tournament from 2025, when he reached the round of 32 before retiring against Taylor Fritz.

In his previous match, the Frenchman won 84% of his first serves and was the only one to convert a break point, which ultimately proved decisive.

He has gotten to this stage in part by playing relatively clean tennis, registering a combined three double faults in his three outings thus far, something he will need to continue if he is to upset Sinner.

This year, he has hit 14 aces while managing to record a mere four double faults on all surfaces, but did not make it beyond the qualifying phase of a singles event in his previous three attempts before this one.

To this stage of the 2026 campaign, Bonzi has won 68% of his first serve points, while saving 61% of his break points.

Tournament so far

Benjamin Bonzi:

Qualifier: vs. Darwin Blanch- Bonzi wins 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Qualifier: vs. Diego Dedura- Bonzi wins 6-2 6-1

Round of 128: vs. Titouan Droguet- Bonzi wins 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Head To Head

French Open (2020) - Round of 64: Sinner wins 6-2 6-4 6-4

Indian Wells (2022) - Round of 32: Sinner wins 7-6 3-6 6-4

Rotterdam Open (2023) - Round of 32: Sinner wins 6-2 3-6 6-1

In the Frenchman’s home country in 2020, Bonzi failed to hit a single ace, with his counterpart winning 63% of his second serve points to advance at Roland Garros.

At the Indian Wells Open, the Italian was pushed to a third set but ultimately came through, with 12 aces while winning 71% of his first-serve points.

The following year, in the Netherlands, the two went to a third set yet again, with Sinner prevailing, thanks in part to his 35 winners and winning 83% of his net points.

We say: Sinner to win in two sets

While Bonzi has shown that he can compete with some top-end players, Sinner has gone up against the very best on the men’s draw this year and won and that psychological edge should serve him well.