Tennis star Alexander Zverev has broken his semi-final curse and is playing for his first title of the season against dominator Jannik Sinner in the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.
The 29-year-old won against the Belgian outsider Alexander Blockx after a strong performance 6:2, 7:5. After 1:36 hours, the world number three converted his first match point.
In his sixth semi-final this year, Zverev achieved his first victory. In the final on Sunday, the world number one Sinner will face the most difficult task imaginable. Zverev won the title in the Spanish capital in 2018 and 2021.
“I’m happy to be in the final and I’m happy to be able to play against Jannik again. He’s the best player in the world. But I’ll give him a tough fight,” said Zverev after the match.
Zverev on the trail of Nadal and Federer
After the long-retired tennis idols Rafael Nadal (8 in total) and Roger Federer (4), Zverev from Hamburg is now the third male professional who can show at least four final appearances in Madrid.
In the duel with the surprise semi-finalists Blockx, Zverev left no doubt about progressing from the start. His 21-year-old opponent was visibly nervous in his biggest match to date, Zverev kept the pace high and made use of his greater experience.
Sinner writes history
Sinner made it into the final with an easy 6:2, 6:4 against Frenchman Arthur Fils and set a new milestone in his career. The 24-year-old is now the fourth and youngest male professional to have reached the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments on the tennis tour. The other three are the idols Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic. The Masters category is the second highest in tennis after the four Grand Slam tournaments.
The win against Fils was Sinner’s 350th win on the tour; the South Tyrolean has been unbeaten in 22 matches. Sinner has already won the Masters tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo this year.
