DEMON DEALT NIGHTMARE DRAW AS 10 AUSSIES REMAIN IN MADRID

Alex de Minaur won't have it easy if he is to go deep in Madrid. (Getty/Manuel Queimadelos)

The draw for the Mutua Madrid Open has handed Alex de Minaur an arduous path to the final, one of 10 Aussies still alive in the tournament.

Classified as an ATP and WTA 1000 event, Madrid welcomes the best players for the next fortnight on the red clay.

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As a result of being seeded sixth, de Minaur earns a first-round bye as he awaits the winner of Lorenzo Sonego and Miomir Kecmanović, before things get tricky.

He is projected to face one of Denis Shapovalov, Kei Nishikori, or fellow Aussie Aleksandar Vukic in the round of 32. He will then likely meet 2019 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth-round and quarter-finals, respectively.

De Minaur trails 1-11 in his head-to-head over Tsitsipas, with three wins coming on clay for the Greek star. The top-ranked Aussie is yet to defeat Alcaraz in four attempts, with the pair meeting in Barcelona last week.

If the 26-year-old survives those tests, he could face Novak Djokovic in the semis and top-seed Alexander Zverev in the decider.

Meanwhile, despite Jordan Thompson withdrawing from his first-round singles match and retiring from doubles in Barcelona due to an adductor injury, the Sydneysider's name is included in the draw.

Aussie men's first-round matches:

Alex de Minaur [6] - Bye

Alexei Popyrin [25] - Bye

Jordan Thompson v Roberto Carballés baena

Christopher O'Connell v Camilo Ugo Carabelli

Aleksandar Vukic v Kei Nishikori

Aussie men's final round of qualifying matches:

Rinky Hijikata [5] v Fabio Fognini [22 (Wednesday, April 23 - Not before 12am AEST)

On the women's side, Daria Kasatkina will feature in her first WTA 1000 tournament with the Australian flag next to her name.

Having defected from Russia, the former French Open semi-finalist could potentially meet world No.3 Jessica Pegula in the round of 16.

There is a possibility that Kimberly Birrell and Ajla Tomljanović play off in the third-round.

In qualifying, Olivia Gadecki bowed out to Panna Udvardy 6-7(2) 7-5 6-1, leaving teenager Maya Joint as the only Aussie woman standing as she pushes to enter the main draw against the experienced Jil Teichmann.

Aussie women's first-round matches:

Daria Kasatkina [14] - Bye

Kimberly Birrell v Peyton Stearns (Tuesday, April 22 - Not before 11:40pm AEST)

Ajla Tomljanović v Qualifier

Aussie women's final round of qualifying matches:

Maya Joint [4] v Jil Teichmann [14] (Tuesday, April 22 - 7pm AEST)

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