Blockx’s madness has no brakes
The Belgian Alexander Blockx, only 21 years old, continues writing a movie story at the Madrid Open. This Thursday, the world number 69 knocked out defending champion Casper Ruud with a solid 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. And it is no coincidence: before he had already eliminated Felix Auger-Aliassime and Francisco Cerúndolo.
The most incredible thing is that Blockx had not won an ATP match on clay until three weeks ago in Monte Carlo. Now, he is in the semis of a Masters 1000. This is what he said with that humility that makes you fall in love:
“To be honest, I’m just happy to be here. Even to have won my first match here. I barely escaped in the first round and I was already happy with that. The semi-finals is something I wouldn’t have even dreamed of at the beginning.”
His next rival will be the German Alexander Zverev, second seed, who has just swept Flavio Cobolli. Zverev seeks his fourth final in Madrid, but Blockx does not give up.
The secret of its explosion
Blockx explained that the conditions in Madrid suit him like a glove: “I feel like it’s a slow clay, so I have time to settle in and hit my shots. At the same time, it’s pretty fast because of the altitude and the heat. It’s the perfect combination for me.”
And boy is he taking advantage of it. He is 4-2 against Top 20 opponents, all wins this month. With Ruud’s defeat, the Norwegian will drop out of the Top 20 for the first time since 2021.
The other side of the coin
In the women’s draw, the young Russian Mirra Andreeva, who turned 19, beat Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 7-6(8) to reach her third WTA 1000 final. She will face the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who beat Anastasia Potapova.
But the story of the day is Blockx. A boy who arrived in Madrid without victories on clay and now dreams of the title. As they say in sports: when you least expect it, the greatest thing comes.
