Alexander Zverev and Madrid, what a combo. The German will play his fourth Mutua Madrid Open final on Sunday after ending the road for Alexander Blockx, the surprise package this week in the Caja Magica. Zverev defeated the Belgian 6-2, 7-5 on Friday to book a date with Jannik Sinner in the grand finale. It is, without a doubt, everyone’s dream final.
In the absence of Carlos Alcaraz due to a wrist injury, there is no better final. Sinner and Zverev are the two best players in the draw and they have lived up to their billing over the fortnight in the Spanish capital. The Italian world number one has only dropped one set in the tournament, while Zverev has been fine tuning his game as the rounds progressed. As a result he has had to escape from some tricky situations en route to the decider.
Sunday will be the fourteenth time the pair have crossed paths, and Sinner has a clear lead in their head-to-head, as well as having taken the spoils in all of their last eight encounters. But Madrid is Madrid and Zverev plays here like a man possessed. Just ask Blockx.
The Belgian’s campaign in Madrid has been better than even he could have imagined; he notched up two-set victories over players of the calibre of Félix Auger-Aliassime, Francisco Cerúndolo and Casper Ruud. Suddenly, he found himself in his first ATP semi-final after playing the tennis of his life. However, he found on the other side of the net a Zverev who was not in the mood for a long night. Despite the defeat, Blockx will climb 34 places in the ATP Rankings on Monday to 35th, his career best.
Zverev, for his part, will remain in third place in the rankings no matter what happens on Sunday against Sinner. With Sinner and Alcaraz both out of reach, the man from Hamburg needs a victory on Sunday to restore his confidence in his rivalry with the Italian. There is no better place for such a turnaround than Madrid, one of Zverev’s favourite stomping grounds.
The German will contest his fourth final in Madrid on Sunday, having taken the title in 2018 and 2021 and lost the 2022 decider to Alcaraz. Only two players have competed in more finals at the Mutua Madrid Open; Rafael Nadal, with eight, and Roger Federer, with five.
“I’m very happy to be in the final. I’ve had many matches, many battles since the start of the tournament”, Zverev said just after beating Blockx in the Manolo Santana Stadium. “I’m really looking forward to playing Sinner again. I’m sure it’ll be a tough match. Playing against the world number one always brings pressure. Tennis seems very easy for him at the moment. I hope to make things difficult for him on Sunday”, added the German.
All eyes are now on Sunday’s final. It will also be the first time since 2016, when Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray played for the crown, that the top two seeds have faced each other in Madrid’s final.
