Madrid, May 1 (IANS) Alexander Zverev maintained his impressive consistency at the ATP Masters 1000 level at the Madrid Open, where he eased past Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4 inside Manolo Santana Stadium to book his place in the semi-finals.

With his 90-minute victory, the German 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).

Moreover, with his win over Cobolli, with which he improved to 3-1 in the pair’s ATP head-to-head 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.

The world number three did not give Cobolli a look-in on the Caja Magica’s centre court. With some impressive serving, Zverev was only truly challenged one time in the match, when it came to crossing the line.

At 5-4 up and serving for the second set, the Hamburg native suddenly found himself having to fend off two break points, something he did with aplomb. As if he had ice flowing through his veins, he produced two huge serves and finished off the job.

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 semifinal.

Blockx-Zverev will be a clash of contrasts; this is the first venture into the last four of an ATP tournament for Blockx, while Zverev will be playing in his seventh semi-final in the last eight Masters 1000s. The German has stayed true to form at the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament he has already conquered twice (2018, 2021). He is now just two steps from the title once again.

–IANS

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