While Blockx saved a pair of break points to hold for 5-4 in the second set, his much-more experienced opponent broke the next time of asking before closing out a 6-2, 7-5 win. As a result, Zverev snapped a six-match losing streak in 1000-level semifinals.
“Generally, I’m feeling well. I look forward to the final,” Zverev told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj. “I think it’s going to be a very tough match.”
Tough is putting it lightly for Zverev, even as a two-time former champion of this event with nine career clay-court titles. That’s because Sinner has been unstoppable in Masters 1000 competition, seeking to become the first man to ever win five consecutive trophies in the series that debuted in 1990.
In the four triumphs leading up to his first Madrid final, Sinner took out Zverev in the semifinal round of eventual title runs at 2025 Paris and the first three ’26 stops of Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo. Beyond that, Zverev has not managed to defeat Sinner since the 2023 US Open—the last major before the Italian joined the Grand Slam winner’s club.
