Who is Alexander Blockx? Belgian star with Ukrainian parents is +34 in rankings amid Madrid Open run
Alexander Blockx’s breakthrough run at the 2026 Madrid Open has been one of the stories of the tournament, but who is the rising Belgian star?
World No 69 Blockx has won five straight matches to advance to the semi-finals at the clay-court Masters 1000 event — his maiden semi-final on the ATP Tour.
After earning three-set wins over Cristian Garin and Brandon Nakashima in the first two rounds, Blockx upset world No 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(3), 6-3 in the third round for his first-ever victory over a top 10 player.
The 21-year-old backed up the biggest triumph of his career with equally impressive straight-set wins against Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud — top 20 stars who are at their best on clay.
He downed world No 20 Cerundolo 7-6(8), 6-2 in the last 16 before ending 15th-ranked Ruud’s Madrid Open title defence with a 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final triumph.
Blockx’s run in the Spanish capital has increased his points total by 386 to 1,200, which has lifted him 34 places to a projected new career-high ranking of world No 35 in the Live ATP Rankings.
The Belgian will take on world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals in Madrid on Friday night.
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Blockx’s early life and career to date
Alexander Blockx was born in Antwerp, Belgium on 8 April, 2005 to Ukrainian parents. His father Oleg was a track athlete, while his mother Natalia was a professional swimmer.
Blockx first played tennis at the age of four when watching his older brother Maxime.
He achieved an ITF junior combined ranking of world No 1 in May 2023, having beaten Learner Tien to win the Australian Open boys’ singles title earlier that year.
The Belgian played his first professional match in qualifying at the ATP 250 in Antwerp in 2022, and he holds a 15-13 record on the main ATP Tour after reaching the last four in Madrid.
Blockx lost in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open to Jaime Faria on his Grand Slam main draw debut.
He has reached six finals on the ATP Challenger Tour, securing four titles.
What Blockx said after reaching the Madrid Open semi-finals
After his victory over Ruud, Blockx admitted he had not expected to achieve this result as he revealed his spot in the main draw was only confirmed at the last minute.
“No, definitely not. I was already happy with getting into the main draw here,” Blockx explained.
“I got into the main draw last minute on Friday, just before the deadline. So winning my first match here was already a bonus for me. Then of course all the other matches, I never thought I would get that far.
“But once you get confident and you feel your game, a lot can happen. Every game is still a bonus. It’s my first time in such a deep run, and I’m just happy to still be here.”
Asked if he had done anything differently in the past few months, Blockx said: “I was just practising and doing my thing like I always did. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not. This week it’s paying off.
“I never had too much confidence on clay the last couple of years, but I think I cannot say that anymore with the results I am having.
“I think I improved a lot on all my shots, my physicality. I think the conditions here are a bit quicker than the usual clay, so that helps as well, but I definitely like clay now.”
Ruud described facing Blockx as ‘depressing’
Following his defeat to Blockx, Ruud admitted: “I found it depressing this game, because he didn’t really have any weaknesses.
“I tried my best to do some analysis [of him]. Not like live in the moment when he was playing, but I rewatched a lot of his matches here, and a lot of highlights to see his highest level. We do everything we can.
“Ultimately, when you’re out there, you can scout all you want, but you have to hit the shots that you want to hit.”