Sinner vs Fils - 16:00 CET
Match news and form
Jannik Sinner rarely drops sets, and that trend has continued this season, as he has not conceded a set in more than one match at any ATP event. He maintained that record in a tricky quarter-final against the in-form home favourite, Rafael Jodar. Despite a strong fight from Jodar in the second set, where he created multiple break-point chances midway through, Sinner held firm, saving them all before sealing a 6-2, 7-6 win.
That result keeps him on track for a maiden Madrid Masters title and a place in history, as he aims to become the first player ever to win five consecutive Masters titles, a streak that began in Paris last year and has continued through Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo this season. After a slow start to the season, Sinner got his campaign up and running by winning his maiden Indian Wells Masters title, a breakthrough that saw him complete the set of high-profile hard-court titles and kickstart a dominant run.
He has not lost a match since and now stands just two titles away, in Madrid and Rome, from completing the full Masters collection. With Carlos Alcaraz absent, the path in Madrid has opened up significantly, giving him a strong opportunity to go all the way. If he capitalises here, it would set him up perfectly heading into his home event in Rome, where he can aim to complete the Masters collection.
Arthur Fils came into Madrid on the back of a title run in Barcelona, managing a quick turnaround, and initially looked a bit underwhelming in the early rounds, dropping a set to Ignacio Buse and nearly losing one to Emilio Nava. However, he has since raised his level significantly, delivering much more assertive performances against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and the in-form Jiri Lehecka to reach his maiden semi-final at the Madrid Masters.
It is fair to say he has met his objective for this campaign, as this was the stage he would have realistically targeted given the manageable path he had. He has done his job by beating the players he was expected to beat, and from here on, anything he achieves will be a bonus.
Head-to-head
Sinner leads 1-0. They met once in the semi-finals in Montpellier 2023, when both players were still developing, and Sinner won comfortably 7-5, 6-2.
Stats & facts
Sinner holds a 12-4 record in Masters semi-finals and is currently on an eight-match winning streak at this stage.
Sinner is currently on a 21-match winning streak on tour. He has not lost a tour-level semi-final to a non-top-10 player since Monte Carlo 2024.
Fils has never reached a Masters final, losing his only semi-final to Jiri Lehecka in Miami this year.
Fils has never beaten a world No. 1, losing his only such encounter to Alcaraz in Doha earlier this year. Four of his five losses this year have come against top-10 players.
Betting analysis
Fils has done an excellent job this season and in this Madrid campaign, and his current momentum and winning streak make him a worthy contender to push Sinner and keep things competitive. However, with the relentless force that Sinner is and how rarely he drops sets, it is still difficult to confidently back Fils to take a set. The lean remains towards Sinner getting through in straight sets.
Sinner in 2026
Best results: Monte Carlo, Miami, Indian Wells (title)
Best results on clay: Monte Carlo (title)
Record: 28-2
Record in the last 10 matches: 10-0
Record on clay: 9-0
Record against top 30: 12-2 (career 139-53)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals: 3-0 (career 12-4)
Record in semi-finals: 3-1 (career 36-12)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (semi-finals)
Sinner at the Madrid Open
Career record: 10-2
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: did not play
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Monte Carlo (title)
Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Bonzi (6-7, 6-1, 6-4), Moller (6-2, 6-3), (19) Norrie (6-2, 7-5), Jodar (6-2, 7-6)
Fils in 2026
Best results: Barcelona (title); Doha (final)
Best results on clay: Barcelona (title)
Record: 22-5
Record in the last 10 matches: 9-1
Record on clay: 9-0
Record against top 10: 2-4 (career 9-15)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals: 0-1 (career 0-1)
Record in semi-finals: 2-1 (career 6-7)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (did not play)
Fils at the Madrid Open
Career record: 4-2
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 64
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Barcelona (title)
Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Buse (6-7, 7-6, 7-5), Nava (7-6, 6-3), (25) Etcheverry (6-3, 6-4), (11) Lehecka (6-3, 6-4)
Blockx vs Zverev - 20:00 CET
Match news and form
Alexander Blockx had not won a tour-level main draw match 12 months ago and had not won a tour-level match on clay prior to this month, but everything has come together for him in this European clay swing. He has gone from strength to strength, with his only losses coming against top-10 players Alex de Minaur and Ben Shelton, and has now achieved his breakthrough by winning five consecutive matches to reach the semi-finals in Madrid.
His run includes a top-10 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime and an impressive victory over defending champion Casper Ruud, making him only the fifth player born in 2003 or later to reach a Masters semi-final, after Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Arthur Fils, and Jakub Mensik.
Alexander Zverev suffered a disappointing straight-sets loss to Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals of his home event in Munich two weeks ago, but he responded strongly by defeating the same opponent in the Madrid quarter-finals, dominating the Italian 6-1, 6-4. This continues his remarkable consistency this season, where he has rarely exited before the semi-finals, having now reached at least the semi-finals in six of the seven tournaments he has played in 2026, with the only exception being a second-round loss in Acapulco back in February.
After losing his first four semi-final matches this season to Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, the Munich semi-final against a lower-ranked Cobolli looked like a great chance for Zverev to finally break that barrier, but he missed the opportunity with a disappointing straight-sets defeat.
He now gets an even more favourable semi-final assignment in Madrid, and it will be interesting to see if he can capitalise and reach his first final since Vienna last October. Semi-finals have become a real stumbling block for him recently, but he can draw confidence from his outstanding record at this venue, where he has won all three of his previous semi-finals, converting them into a title twice, in 2018 and 2021, making Madrid one of his most successful stops on tour.
Head-to-head
These two players have never met before.
Stats & facts
This is Blockx's maiden semi-final appearance at both the Masters level and in any tour-level event.
His previous biggest semi-final came at the ATP Next Gen Finals last December, where he defeated Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in straight sets.
Zverev has lost nine of his last 10 semi-final matches, including his last six in a row. The last time he faced a non-top-50 player in a semi-final was in Munich 2025, which was also the last tournament he won.
Zverev holds a 12–14 career record in Masters semi-finals, a figure impacted by his current six-match losing streak in such matches.
Betting analysis
Among active players, Zverev is one of the most accomplished at the Masters level, with seven titles, including two in Madrid, and he remains one of the most dangerous players at this venue. On paper, he should be able to handle a first-time semi-finalist like Blockx. However, his recent struggles in the semi-finals are a genuine concern, especially after failing to break that pattern even against Cobolli recently, which keeps this matchup more open than it appears.
Blockx, riding strong momentum and confidence, has the tools to trouble Zverev, and his aggressive game can make this competitive, with over games, tiebreaks, and even a deciding set all realistic possibilities.
Blockx in 2026
Best results: Madrid (semi-finals)
Best results on clay: Madrid (semi-finals)
Record: 26-9
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on clay: 10-2
Record against top 10: 1-2 (career 1-2)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Record in semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (round of 128)
Blockx at the Madrid Open
Career record: 5-0
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: did not play
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Monte Carlo (round of 16), Munich (round of 16)
Road to the semi-finals: Garin (4-6, 7-5, 7-5), (28) Nakashima (3-6, 6-3, 6-4), (3) Auger-Aliassime (7-6, 6-3), (16) F. Cerundolo (7-6, 6-2), (12) Ruud (6-4, 6-4)
Zverev in 2026
Best results: Munich, Monte Carlo, Miami, Indian Wells, Australian Open (semi-finals)
Best results on clay: Munich, Monte Carlo (semi-finals)
Record: 25-7
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on clay: 10-2
Record against top 50-100: 3-2 (career 165-52)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals: 0-3 (career 12-14)
Record in semi-finals: 0-5 (career 40-43)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (semi-finals)
Zverev at the Madrid Open
Career record: 29-6
Best result: title (2018, 2021)
Last year's result: round of 16
Record in semi-finals: 3-0
Preparation: Monte Carlo (semi-finals), Munich (semi-finals)
Road to the semi-finals: Bye, Navone (6-1, 3-6, 6-3), Atmane (6-3, 7-6), (23) Mensik (6-4, 6-7, 6-3), (10) Cobolli (6-1, 6-4)