Alexander Blockx’s dream run in Madrid continues with the 21-year-old Belgian beating the defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

The 69th-ranked emerging talent had not won an ATP Tour match on clay before his third-round run in Monte Carlo three weeks ago. He has also defeated the third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime and Francisco Cerundolo on his way to the last four in the Spanish capital.

“To be honest, I’m just happy with being here,” Blockx said. “Even winning my first match here. I barely escaped in the first round and I was happy about that already. Semi-finals is something I wouldn’t have even dreamed of to begin with.”

Blockx became the fourth lowest-ranked player to reach the men’s last four in Madrid, according to the ATP. He is the second man born in 2005 or later to reach the semis at a Masters 1000 after Jakub Mensik, who won in Miami in 2025.

“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches,” Blockx said. “The conditions suit me well here. I feel like it’s clay which is slow, so I have time to settle and hit my shots, go for my shots. At the same time, it’s quite fast with the altitude and the heat sometimes. It’s the perfect combination for me.”

Blockx is 4-2 against top 20 opponents, with all four of his wins coming this month. “I thought from the first game I was hitting my ball quite well, and I made [lots of] returns,” he said. “Once I got my first game, I was really into the match.”

With the loss, Rudd exits the top 20 for the first time since May 2021.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz was back at the Madrid Open on Thursday – but only as a spectator to watch younger brother Jaime compete in an under-16 tournament.

The world No 2 was in the stands at Court 7 as Jaime Alcaraz defeated fellow Spaniard Pol Mas 6-3, 6-3. Other relatives were on hand to watch the tournament debut of the 14-year-old Jaime.

Carlos withdrew from the Madrid Open because of a right wrist injury, which will prevent him from defending his French Open title in three weeks.

• This report will update later