NewzVille Desk
Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakthrough run at the Madrid Open, defeating defending champion Casper Ruud to reach the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.
Blockx had not won an ATP Tour-level match on clay before this month but has impressed in Madrid, including a victory over third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the last four.
He sealed the win in 96 minutes, becoming the fourth-lowest-ranked player to reach the semi-finals in the tournament’s history.
Blockx will next face either second seed and two-time champion Alexander Zverev or 10th seed Flavio Cobolli, who are scheduled to play later.
