The Mutua Madrid Open’s ATP main draw is now complete after the conclusion of the second and final qualifying round.

The highlight of the day was the victory of Frenchman Benoit Paire over Japanese player Kaichi Uchida in a tight two-hour clash that Paire won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The French player made the most of his invite to play in the qualies by earning a spot in the main draw of the Mutua Madrid Open, in another match in which Benoit’s rapport with local fans was palpable as they cheered him over the line.

In another thrilling clash, 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev defeated the first seed in qualifying, German player Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-2. They squared off today in a match that was dominated by Karatsev from start to finish and in which his solid serving meant he faced no break points.

In the match that opened the day’s play on court 4, Spanish young gun Dani Rincón produced some of the most exciting tennis of the day, before eventually falling to French player Hugo Grenier in three sets. It will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Rafa Nadal Academy student, who was one step away from his first Masters 1000 main draw.

The match started with an early break for the French player, who held his serve and went on to break again to seal the first set 6-3. The second was a much closer affair and Dani managed to level the match after taking the tiebreak in a set that lasted over an hour and a half. A tired Dani Rincón was outdone by the experienced Grenier, who sealed his passage to the main draw by taking the decider 6-2. There will be plenty more opportunities for the young Spaniard.

Other highlights of the day include wins for another Grand Slam semi-finalist, Marco Cecchinatto, over his compatriot Gianmarco Zeppieri (7-5, 6-4), and Rodionov against Altmaier (6-4, 6-3).