Casper Ruud’s journey at the 2026 Madrid Open has come to an abrupt end.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist, who was the defending champion at the Caja Magica, saw his run ended by Belgian youngster Alexander Blockx.
Blockx, 21, defeated Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Manolo Santana Stadium, and he will face Alexander Zverev or Flavio Cobolli in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
Which ATP youngster will win a Masters 1000 title first?
Joao Fonseca, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, or Alexander Blockx…
As for Ruud, it was a bitterly disappointing result for the Norwegian – one he will look to put behind him quickly.
After winning last year’s Madrid Open title, Ruud is set to fall significantly in the rankings.
Casper Ruud set to fall to world number 25
After losing to Blockx on Thursday, Casper Ruud is set to surrender 800 ATP rankings points.
As a result, the Norwegian is set to fall 10 places in the ATP Tour rankings to world number 25.
This fall will see the likes of Arthur Fils, Cameron Norrie and Valentin Vacherot overtake the Masters 1000 champion in the rankings.
The ranking will also be Ruud’s lowest for over five years. Ruud was last ranked this low on the Tour on April 12, 2021 – 27th on the ATP Tour.
As for Alexander Blockx, the Belgian can be incredibly proud of the progress he has made in such a short space of time.
After defeating Ruud, the 21-year-old is set to rise 34 places to world number 35.
ATP live rankings
- 25 – Casper Ruud
- 26 – Tomas Etcheverry
- 27 – Francisco Cerundolo
- 28 – Jakub Mensik
- 29 – Joao Fonseca
- 30 – Corentin Moutet
- 31 – Tallon Griekspoor
- 32 – Brandon Nakashima
- 33 – Ugo Humbert
- 34 – Rafael Jodar
- 35 – Alexander Blockx
Brad Gilbert left impressed by Blockx
Brad Gilbert, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Coco Gauff, offered his immediate reaction to Blockx’s victory in a post on X.
Live ATP Ranking wow, what a win for Blockx, taking out Ruud to make [his] first semi-finals at Masters series [event].
“Jumping all the way up to 35th in live rankings.”
It really has been a special week for Blockx. The Belgian recorded his first top 10 victory by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime earlier this week, and he has now beaten three top-20 ATP players in a row.
As per OptaAce, Blockx is also the first Belgian to both defeat the defending champion and reach a maiden ATP-level semi-final at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
