Alexander Zverev will face Jannik Sinner for the Madrid Open title after overcoming a tough challenge from Alexander Blockx in the semi-finals.

Blockx stunned reigning champion Casper Ruud to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, but he could not pull off another surprise, with Zverev triumphing 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 37 minutes.

Zverev started strong with a break in the opening game, and though Blocks pulled back to 2-1 with a love-hold, the German's three-game winning streak put him in control.

Blockx managed to hold off three break and set points after that, but Zverev made no mistakes as he took the first set on serve.

The Belgian made a marked improvement in the second set and stood his ground, successfully defending seven break points across his first five service games.

However, Zverev found his edge again in the closing stages, with another three-game winning streak getting him over the line and into the showpiece, his first of the year after falling at the semi-final stage five times already in 2026.

Sascha surges on @AlexZverev reaches his seventh Masters 1000 final on clay, tying Muster for fourth-most in series history! @MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/0kr2rpcvC2

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 1, 2026

Data Debrief: Lucky 13 for Zverev

Zverev has reached a 13th career ATP Masters 1000 final, equalling his next opponent, Sinner, for the second-most among active players – the pair only trail Novak Djokovic (60).

It is his seventh such final on clay, equalling Thomas Muster for the fourth-most on the surface in the format's history – Zverev now only trails Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer.

And the top two seeds will meet in the final at consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events for the first time since Madrid and Rome in 2016 – Djokovic and Andy Murray contested both finals.

Zverev and Sinner will meet for the fifth straight ATP Masters 1000 event, with the Italian winning each of the previous four, but the German will be hoping to flip the script during his fourth showpiece in the Spanish capital.