Alexander Blockx’s dream of winning his first tour-level title at an ATP Masters 1000 event was denied by Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
The Belgian fell to the world number three in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, after recording his best tournament campaign so far.
Blockx dethroned defending champion Casper Ruud and beat the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Francisco Cerundolo en route to the final four.
Zverev‘s final opponent will be world number one Jannik Sinner, who defeated Arthur Fils to book his place in the championship match.
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Following his defeat, Blockx remained positive when facing the media.
Alexander Blockx reacts to his loss to Alexander Zverev in Madrid
Speaking to BB Tennis, the 21-year-old said: “I think I’ve had two very good weeks.
“Every match, I’ve improved my level. I think the positive thing is that I showed myself that I can play on the big stage here.
“And another very positive thing is that I saw today that I still have a lot of things to improve.
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“I think I played a bit against myself today. I felt like I was playing against myself, who was a couple of versions stronger than me.
“I think Sasha’s level today is definitely something I can look out for in the future, to take some things from his game and put them into my game.”
Alexander Blockx’s ranking changes so far this year
Blockx cracked the top 100 earlier this year after winning a Challenger event in Canberra, where he overcame Rafael Jodar in the final.
His next big jump in the ATP rankings came in April after he reached the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters, which saw him move up to 72nd in the world.
There, Blockx beat Denis Shapavalov and 10th seed Flavio Cobolli before falling to Alex de Minaur in the round of 16.
Blockx then broke into the top 70 after his Munich run, and after the semifinal finish in Madrid, his live ranking is currently 35th in the world.
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