Tennis fans worldwide, here is your midday tennis news update. In the early hours of Friday, the ATP 1000 Madrid Masters concluded its final two singles quarterfinals, producing the final four. Second seed Alexander Zverev continued his scorching form, defeating tenth seed Lorenzo Cobolli 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semifinals for the fourth time and secure his 27th career Masters 1000 semifinal appearance.
Zverev will next face Alexander Blockx, a Belgian wildcard who has emerged as the tournament’s biggest surprise. Blockx ousted defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4, extending his Cinderella run. Ruud will drop out of the top 20 in next week’s rankings after losing 800 points, while Blockx surpassed fellow teen Rafa Jodar to become the farthest‑advancing player born in 2005 or later at this event.
On the women’s side at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, both semifinal dark horses fell. American Hailey Baptiste lost to ninth seed Mirra Andreeva 4‑6, 6‑7(8), while lucky loser Varvara Potapova was defeated by Marta Kostyuk 2‑6, 6‑1, 1‑6. The final will be a Russian‑Ukrainian showdown between Andreeva and Kostyuk. Andreeva is playing her third 1000‑level final, while Kostyuk enters her first on an 11‑match winning streak and remains undefeated on clay this season.
Three Chinese players also advanced to quarterfinals in Challenger events. At the Provence Challenger, Wu Yibing beat seventh seed Alexander Shevchenko 7‑6(8), 7‑5 and will face either Landaluce or Quinn. At the Jiujiang Challenger, Bu Yunchaokete defeated qualifier Ilagan 6‑2, 6‑3, and next plays fourth seed Wong Hong‑kit. Sun Fajing also won, beating Serbian teen Milic 6‑4, 6‑1, and will take on Estonian Lajal.
In player news, 36‑year‑old Latvian star Anastasija Sevastova officially announced her retirement. The former world No. 11 won four WTA singles titles, reached the 2018 US Open semifinals, and collected a 1000‑level runner‑up trophy. She had taken an indefinite break in February 2022 but returned in November 2023, though injuries limited her appearances. This time, she says farewell to professional tennis.
Finally, can you identify this player from the black‑and‑white sketch below?
(Source: Tennis House)
