Zverev Reaches Madrid Open Semifinals With Straight-Sets Win Over Cobolli
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open on May 1 with a straight-sets quarterfinal victory over Flavio Cobolli, the Qatar News Agency reported. Zverev defeated the 13th-ranked Italian 6-1, 6-4 and will face Alexander Blockx in the last four after the latter beat defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4. Blockx’s victory was his first time reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament.
The Qatar News Agency reported that Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday. An ATP Tour report stated the match lasted about 90 minutes. Zverev dropped just seven of 39 points behind his first serve during the encounter. This was Zverev’s fourth semifinal appearance at a Masters 1000 event in 2026. He became the fourth man to reach the semifinals at each of the first four Masters 1000 tournaments of the season, the ATP Tour said.
ATP Tour statistics show Zverev won the Madrid Open in 2018 and 2021. He was the runner-up in 2022 at the clay-court Masters 1000 tournament. The German has reached the later stages of the event on multiple occasions. Zverev recorded his 350th career win at a previous Madrid Open according to tournament records. He is among the active players with the most Masters titles outside the dominant group of recent years, past ATP reports noted.
The Qatar News Agency reported that Alexander Blockx defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4. Ruud entered the match as the defending champion and world number 15. The result marked the first time Blockx reached the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event. Blockx had not advanced this far in such tournaments previously. The match was part of the quarterfinal lineup on May 1 in Madrid.
The Mutua Madrid Open is an ATP Masters 1000 tournament played on red clay at the Caja Magica, the ATP Tour website states. It ran from April 22 to May 3 in 2026 with prize money of €8,235,540. Spaniards have claimed the men’s singles title eight times since 2002 according to ATP records. Rafael Nadal secured five of those titles on the surface. The event forms part of the lead-in to the French Open on the professional calendar.
ATP Tour data places the Madrid Open among the key stops in the clay season. Players adapt to the high-altitude conditions in the Spanish capital during the competition. The tournament has featured surface variations in its history including a period on hard courts from 2002 to 2008. Its status attracts the top-ranked competitors each year. Zverev’s participation this year continued his record of consistent performances at the venue.
