ATP1000 Madrid Masters semifinals concluded early Saturday, with Germany’s Alexander Zverev defeating Belgian rising star Brox 6-2, 7-5 to reach his first Masters final this season. He will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who beat French youngster Fils 6-2, 6-4 to make his Madrid debut final.
Sinner extended his winning streak to 22 matches this season and 27 in Masters events, becoming the first player born in 2000s to reach 350 career tour wins. He also became the fourth player – after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal – to reach finals at all nine Masters tournaments, achieving the feat at age 24, younger than Djokovic (25), Nadal (27), and Federer (30).
If Sinner wins the final, he would set a new record by capturing five consecutive Masters titles, a feat none of the “Big Three” accomplished. However, Zverev has been impressive in Madrid, winning all his matches. He currently trails Sinner with eight straight losses, failing to win a set or break a serve in those meetings. Zverev is determined to snap that losing streak, though many observers believe Sinner’s current form makes it a daunting challenge.
On the women’s side, WTA1000 Madrid held two doubles semifinals. Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider defeated the cross-national duo of Siegemund and Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2, advancing to the finals without dropping a set. This is their second joint Masters 1000 final. Andreeva is now competing in both singles and doubles finals, aiming for a double crown.
Second seeds Siniakova and Townsend beat Krunic and Mladenovic 6-4, 7-5, reaching their third consecutive Masters final. They will face Andreeva/Shnaider for the title.
In ATP Challenger Provence, China’s Wu Yibing fell to American Quinn 4-6, 7-5, 4-6 in the quarterfinals after a decisive break in the third set, missing out on the semifinals. At the ATP Challenger Jiujiang, China’s Bu Yunchaokete lost to Hong Kong’s Huang Zelin 6-7(2), 6-7(8) in a double tiebreak quarterfinal, while Sun Fajing defeated Estonia’s Lajal 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals, where he will face Huang.
Finally, a guessing game: Can you identify the player covering her face in the image below? Last time’s answer was Spanish rising star Rafael Hodar.