Madrid
Zverev matches Federer, Nadal & Sinner feat with Madrid QF win
Second seed sinks Cobolli, sets Blockx semi-final at ATP Masters 1000 event
April 30, 2026
JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev is into his fourth semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev maintained his impressive consistency at ATP Masters 1000 level on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he eased past Flavio Cobolli to book his place in the semi-finals.
Just 12 days after losing to Cobolli in the Munich semi-finals, Zverev turned the tables with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win inside Manolo Santana Stadium. The two-time Madrid champion dropped just seven of 39 points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his fourth semi-final in the Spanish capital.
“No revenge. I love Flavio. He’s one of my favourite guys on Tour,” Zverev said. “I have a great relationship with him and a great relationship with his father. This is sport… Sports can change very quickly. In Munich, he played an amazing match and I didn’t play a very good match. Today, it was maybe the opposite.”
With his 90-minute victory, Zverev became just the fourth man to reach the semi-finals at each of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season since the series began in 1990, joining Roger Federer (2006), Rafael Nadal (2010, 2011) and Jannik Sinner (2026). Zverev, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, fell to Sinner at that stage in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo this year.
“It’s amazing but, of course, I need to get past this stage now,” Zverev said with a smile when asked about reaching the semi-finals of all four Masters 1000 events this season.
Looking to extend his perfect 3-0 record in Madrid semi-finals, Zverev will next face 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx in Friday’s evening session. Blockx, the World No. 69, earlier defeated defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final.
With his win over Cobolli, with which he improved to 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, Zverev also moved to 179 tour-level victories on clay, breaking his tie with Philipp Kohlschreiber for the most by a German man in the Open Era.
German Clay Win Leaders
| 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 |
In contrast to their meeting in Munich two weeks ago, Zverev quickly found his rhythm on serve in Madrid. The second seed struck eight aces in the opening set and took full advantage of a tentative start from Cobolli, who was bidding to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final.
Zverev maintained that intensity in the second set, applying constant pressure with his depth and precision to keep the 23-year-old Italian on the back foot. Although Cobolli saved three consecutive break points in the fifth game and showed improved sharpness from both wings, Zverev remained in control to seal his third Top 20 win of the season.
