What Alexander Blockx learned from playing Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open

Alexander Blockx’s bid for a maiden tour-level title came up short in the Madrid Open semi-finals, with world number three Alexander Zverev standing in his way.

The 18-year-old, playing the best tennis of his career so far, went down 6-2, 7-5 to Zverev.

Along the way to the last four, Blockx took down defending champion Casper Ruud and also got past Felix Auger-Aliassime and Francisco Cerundolo.

Zverev will now face Jannik Sinner in the final after the Italian world number one overcame Arthur Fils in his semi-final.

Blockx reflects on ‘positive’ week despite defeat

Speaking after the match, Blockx remained upbeat about his run despite falling short of a place in the final: “I think I’ve had two very good weeks.

“Every match, I’ve improved my level. I think the positive thing is that I showed myself that I can play on the big stage here.

“And another very positive thing is that I saw today that I still have a lot of things to improve. I think I played a bit against myself today. I felt like I was playing against myself, who was a couple of versions stronger than me.

“I think Sasha’s level today is definitely something I can look out for in the future, to take some things from his game and put them into my game.”

Zverev is ranked third in the world, but Blockx has already built up experience facing some of tennis’ biggest names.

This includes Novak Djokovic – who he faced earlier this year at Indian Wells – as well as Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. He’ll get another shot at Medvedev when they meet again next week at the Rome Open.

But while those experiences are valuable for any young player coming through into top-level tournaments, Blockx still knows there’s room for improvement after taking on some of men’s tennis’ toughest players.

How Alexander Blockx’s ATP ranking has changed in 2024

Blockx first broke into the top 100 after picking up a Challenger title in Canberra, beating Rafael Jodar to clinch the trophy.

His next significant rise came in April when a run to the third round at the Monte-Carlo Masters saw him climb to 72nd.

There, he claimed wins over Denis Shapovalov and 10th seed Flavio Cobolli before falling to Alex de Minaur in the round of 16.

After Munich, Blockx moved inside the top 70. Following his Madrid semi-final, his live ranking now sits at world number 35.

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