The first set was ugly for Alexander Blockx. In the biggest matches of his young career, the Belgian came out flat against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters, and the German was ruthless in his response. 27 minutes had gone by, and the second-seed already led 5-1.
Zverev didn't have to do all the hard work on his own, either. Blockx landed only 44 percent of his first serves. Not the kind of percentage one would want against a player who is consistently ranked in the top four of the ATP tour.
Meanwhile, Zverev was in top form, landing 76 percent of his first serves, winning 79 percent of those points, and finishing with 14 winners and 10 unforced errors. The small miracle was that Blockx won any games in the first set at all. He barely won the second after being pushed to deuce multiple times, but Zverev then held to take the opening set 6-2.
Alexander Zverev defeats Alexander Blockx in the semifinals of the 2026 Madrid Open
The second set was far more even, with Blockx adjusting where he stood on Zverev's serve, and playing more calmly in his own service games. The Belgian might not yet have been in a position to make a stunning comeback, but the 21-year-old at least could learn the difficult lesson the 29-year-old Zverev was teaching him and apply it in the future.
After each player held to 5-all, the ATP No. 3 pushed the younger player on his serve until he had a break point. The German got the break on the most brutal of points as his shot tipped the top of the net and trickled over. The outcome of the match appeared certain at that point.
Zverev then held to finish the set 6-4 and take the match. He will be entering his fourth final at the Madrid Open and trying to win his third title. For Alexander Blockx, the tournament was far from a loss. He made his deepest run at any Masters 1000 or major, and is likely to match that in future events, and likely soon. He will also move up 34 spots to No. 35 when the rankings come out.
Alexander Zverev will play Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final at the Madrid Open. The Italian leads the head-to-head 9-4, and has beaten the German eight straight times.
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