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Each day during the Mutua Madrid Open, we'll preview three must-see matches.

Ons Jabeur vs. Simona Halep

At No. 8, Jabeur is the highest seed left on the women’s side, and she was in a shotmaking zone at the end of her win over Belinda Bencic two days ago. But that won’t necessarily make her the favorite against her unseeded opponent on Wednesday. Halep is a two-time champion in Madrid; she has a 2-1 record against Jabeur; and she won their most recent match, in straight sets, in Dubai in February. And with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou in the stands, she has looked sharp and upbeat in her three straight-set wins so far, one of which was a 6-3, 6-1 drubbing of world No. 2 Paula Badosa.

If Jabeur is still on, and Halep is still in a positive mood, this should be the most entertaining of the women’s quarterfinals. Winner: Halep

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Expect plenty of emotion and shotmaking in Jabeur's quarterfinal against Halep.

Expect plenty of emotion and shotmaking in Jabeur's quarterfinal against Halep.

Rafael Nadal vs. Miomir Kecmanovic

Nadal says he’s rusty and his expectations are exceedingly low for Madrid. Is that true, or is he trying to take some pressure off himself in his first tournament back since he cracked a rib in March? It’s probably safe to say he won’t be 100 percent. Whatever his physical condition is, though, this will a bracing start to his comeback.

Kecmanovic is 23-9 on the season, and has improved his ranking from No. 69 to No. 32 in the space of just four months. The 22-year-old Serb’s rise hasn’t been as spectacular as, say, Carlos Alcaraz’s, but he also seems destined for the Top 10 at some point; on Tuesday he didn’t make an error in his win over Alexander Bublik.

Nadal won their only meeting, in two sets, on hard courts, in Acapulco in 2020. This time Rafa will have the advantage of the surface and the crowd; the question will be whether his body and his game will be ready. If they aren't, Kecmanovic has shots and the mentality to pull off the upset. Winner: Nadal

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It might be a stretch to say that Rafa's back is against the wall, but the clay-court superstar hasn't played a match in over a month.

It might be a stretch to say that Rafa's back is against the wall, but the clay-court superstar hasn't played a match in over a month.

Jannik Sinner vs. Alex de Minaur

Sinner and de Minaur, at 20 and 23 respectively, are just outside the top tier of future ATP Grand Slam contenders, though that could change for the Italian in the near future. So far their head-to-head has been one-sided; Sinner has won all three of their previous meetings. What they should offer in their late contest on Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Stadium is an entertaining mix of offense, defense, big hitting and mad scrambling. Sinner is a slugger, de Minaur is a runner, and the quick clay in Madrid should give them both a chance to do what they do best. Winner: Sinner