Madrid
Zverev Joins Elite Company of Federer, Nadal, Sinner with Madrid Quarter-Final Triumph
The second seed defeated Cobolli, securing his spot in a semi-final clash against Blockx at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
April 30, 2026
Photo credit: JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev has reached his fourth semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Authored by ATP Staff
Demonstrating remarkable consistency at the ATP Masters 1000 level, Alexander Zverev advanced to the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, comfortably overcoming Flavio Cobolli.
Only twelve days following his defeat to Cobolli in the Munich semi-finals, Zverev reversed their fortunes with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory within Manolo Santana Stadium. The two-time Madrid title-holder yielded only seven out of 39 points on his first serve, as per Infosys ATP Stats, paving his way to a fourth semi-final appearance in Madrid.
“No thoughts of revenge. I genuinely like Flavio; he’s among my favourite individuals on Tour,” Zverev commented. “I share an excellent rapport with him and his father. This is tennis… outcomes can shift rapidly. In Munich, he delivered an exceptional performance while I didn’t play my best. Today, perhaps, the roles were reversed.”
This 90-minute triumph made Zverev only the fourth male player to advance to the semi-finals of all four opening Masters 1000 tournaments of the season since the series’ inception in 1990. He now stands alongside Roger Federer (2006), Rafael Nadal (2010, 2011), and Jannik Sinner (2026). Zverev, currently ranked No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, had previously been defeated by Sinner at this same stage in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo earlier this year.
“It’s incredible, but naturally, I need to progress beyond this round,” Zverev remarked with a smile, responding to a question about his achievement of reaching the semi-finals at every Masters 1000 event so far this season.
Aiming to enhance his flawless 3-0 record in Madrid semi-final matches, Zverev is scheduled to encounter 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx during Friday’s evening session. Blockx, ranked 69th globally, had earlier overcome reigning champion Casper Ruud with a 6-4, 6-4 scoreline, securing his first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final berth.
Following his triumph against Cobolli, which pushed his Lexus ATP Head2Head series record against the Italian to 3-1, Zverev also notched his 179th tour-level victory on clay. This achievement surpasses Philipp Kohlschreiber’s tally, making Zverev the German male player with the most Open Era clay-court wins.
Leading German Clay-Court Victories
| Player | W-L |
| 1) Alexander Zverev | 179-64 |
| 2) Philipp Kohlschreiber | 178-139 |
| 3) Tommy Haas | 135-91 |
| 4) Boris Becker | 120-61 |
| 5) Karl Meiler | 117-89 |
Unlike their previous encounter in Munich a fortnight prior, Zverev promptly established his serving rhythm in Madrid. The second seed delivered eight aces in the initial set, capitalizing fully on a hesitant beginning from Cobolli, who was striving for his inaugural Masters 1000 semi-final appearance.
Zverev sustained his intense performance into the second set, exerting continuous pressure through his deep and accurate shots, thereby keeping the 23-year-old Italian perpetually on the defensive. Despite Cobolli fending off three successive break points in the fifth game and exhibiting enhanced proficiency from both sides, Zverev retained command to secure his third victory against a Top 20 player this season.