Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are leaving no room for upsets. Both the German and the Greek dispelled any doubt surrounding their form in the Caja Mágica as they progressed to the quarter-finals of the twentieth edition of the Mutua Madrid Open. They both did so convincingly.

It is true that the world No. 3 advanced after the withdrawal of Lorenzo Musetti through injury, but Zverev won the first set 3-6 and was a game up in the second. For his part, the Greek came through a difficult clash against ex-world number 3 Grigor Dimitrov in two sets (3-6, 4-6).

Although Alexander Zverev is winning his matches more through tactical nous than brilliance, yesterday he came through a tough challenge against Marin Cilic and today he only needed 40 minutes on the Manolo Santana centre court. His opponent, Lorenzo Musetti withdrew before the end of the second set, who knows if there would have been a third? The Italian blamed the wear and tear of five matches at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open: two in the qualifiers and the first three rounds.

After a hesitant start to the clay season, Zverev is gradually finding his A-game, and he will need it if he is to mount a successful defence of his title. He still has a long way to go. In the quarters, he will play the Canadian No.10 in the ATP Ranking Félix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Italian player Sinner two sets to love.

Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to progress steadily towards the final of the twentieth edition of the #MMO. Lucas Pouille was unable to do anything to stop the Greek in his opener. Grigor Dimitrov fared no better against the fourth seed, who destroyed the Bulgarian’s dream of doing something big this year on clay. The ex-world No. 3 knows how to handle himself in these situations, and he had not lost a set in the tournament.

Despite the fact that Tsitsipas had beaten him in three of the four matches they had played previously, the Greek would have to produce his best tennis if he wanted a place in the quarters. And that’s exactly what he did. He was unbroken throughout the tie, and his forehand was rock solid. Tsitsipas will now face Andrey Rublev for a place in the semis at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open after the Russian sent Daniel Evans packing in two sets.

Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. German and Greek. Second and fourth seeds at the tournament. Both arrived in Madrid on different trajectories, but with the same goal: to be crowned the champion of the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open. So far, their progression to the quarters has been more than convincing.