Alexander Zverev maintained his impressive consistency at the ATP Masters 1000 level at the Madrid Open, easing past Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4 at the Manolo Santana Stadium to book his place in the semi-finals.
With his 90-minute victory, the German became just the fourth man to reach the semi-finals at each of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season since the series began in 1990, joining Roger Federer (2006), Rafael Nadal (2010, 2011) and Jannik Sinner (2026).
Moreover, with his win over Cobolli, Zverev improved to 3-1 in their ATP head-to-head record and moved to 179 tour-level victories on clay, surpassing Philipp Kohlschreiber for the most by a German man in the Open Era.
The world No. 3 gave Cobolli no chance on the Caja Magica’s centre court. With some impressive serving, Zverev was only truly tested once in the match — when it came to closing it out.
At 5-4 and serving for the second set, the Hamburg native suddenly found himself facing two break points, both of which he saved with authority. Showing remarkable composure, he fired two huge serves to seal the win.
Looking to extend his perfect 3-0 record in Madrid semi-finals, Zverev will next face 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx in Friday’s evening session. Blockx, the World No. 69, earlier defeated defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final.
The Blockx-Zverev clash presents a contrast in experience. While it is Blockx’s first appearance in the last four of an ATP tournament, Zverev will be playing his seventh semi-final in the last eight Masters 1000 events. The German has remained consistent at the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament he has already won twice (2018, 2021), and now stands just two wins away from another title.
-IANS
