Madrid, 02 May (H.S.): World No. 3 Alexander Zverev put in a brilliant performance on Friday night at the Madrid Open, thrashing Belgium’s emerging talent Alexander Blockx 6–2, 7–5 in straight sets to advance to the final. He will now meet world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the championship match.

After the match, Zverev said, “I am very happy to have reached the final. It has been a demanding week with several tough matches and battles. I am really looking forward to playing against Jannik Sinner again. At the moment, tennis seems to come very easily to him, but I hope I can push him hard in the final.”

Zverev took control early and maintained it throughout the first set. He broke Blockx’s serve in the first and fifth games to open a 5–1 lead. Although Blockx saved a few set points and continued to fight, the German converted on his fourth set point to take the opener.

In the second set, Blockx offered strong resistance, saving multiple break points and keeping the contest tight.

However, Zverev eventually broke through at 6–5, securing the decisive break to close out the match. With this win, Zverev has reached his first final of the season. Having previously lifted the Madrid Open title in 2018 and 2021, he will now aim to capture the trophy for a third time.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar