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Alexander Zverev of Germany poses with his girlfriend, Sophia Thomalla.
Alexander “Sascha” Zverev takes on Alexander Blockx in the semifinals of the 2026 Madrid Open on May 1. This marks Zverev’s fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 semifinals after defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1,6-4 in the quarterfinals.
The world’s No. 3-ranked player is looking to hoist his first trophy of the year. To reach the final, where he’ll face Italian superstar Jannik Sinner, he must get past Blockx.
“Of course, I need to get past this stage now,” Zverev told reporters of advancing past the semifinal, something he’s failed to do in the past six 1000-level matches.
GettyAlexander Zverev of Germany celebrates after winning match point at the 2026 Madrid Open.
As for his 21-year-old Belgian opponent, “I think he has great spirit when he’s on the tennis court. I enjoy watching him play,” Zverev said.
Cheering on Zverev is his longtime girlfriend, Sophia Thomalla. While the German “Are You the One?” host is not at Caja Mágica to watch him play, the couple celebrated a special occasion just before the tournament started.
GettyAlexander Zverev and Sophia Thomalla celebrate five years together.
While rumors swirled that Zverev and Thomalla called it quits during the Australian Open, the couple put those rumors to rest at the Miami Open in March.
One day before the Madrid Open officially started, Thomalla and Zverev celebrated their 5th anniversary on the tennis star’s 29th birthday.
Thomalla posted a carousel of photos of Zverev asleep with their dog, Mischka, and joked, “Happy Birthday my love ❤️ Thank you for these 5 THRILLING years 😂🫶🏼.”
The 36-year-old model shared another celebratory post via their dog’s Instagram account, which has over 11,000 followers. In yet another adorable photo of Zverev asleep alongside Mischka, the caption reads, “Happy Birthday, Papa ❤️🐕 #RoutineIsSleep #BusinessAsUsual.”
GettyGermany’s Alexander Zverev serves during the 2026 Madrid Open.
After defeating Cobolli, an opponent he lost to just 12 days earlier at the BMW Open in Munich, Zverev became “the fourth man to reach the semifinals in each of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season since the series began in 1990,” ATP Tour reported.
The only other three players to achieve this feat include Sinner (2026), Roger Federer (2006), and Rafael Nadal (2010, 2011).
Emily Bicks covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Bills, Seahawks and Chiefs. She's contributed to Heavy since 2019 and has interviewed some of the biggest stars in sports, including Jerry Rice, Shaquille O'Neal and Stefon Diggs. More about Emily Bicks
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