Flavio Cobolli, no semifinal in Madrid: dominance of Alexander Zverev

No semifinal for Flavio Cobolli. The Roman stopped in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters 1000, defeated by Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-1 6-4 in one hour and 31 minutes. A match dominated by the German, especially in the first set, in which Cobolli appeared lackluster and less responsive than usual, probably weighed down by the fatigue accumulated in recent weeks.

However, it remains a very positive tournament for the Azzurro: thanks to the 150 points won, on Monday he will rise to number 12 in the world, the best ranking of his career, right on the eve of the Internazionali d’Italia at the Foro Italico.

The Madrid result is part of a period of great growth for Cobolli, who in recent weeks has racked up a series of top-level performances. Just eleven days ago, in Munich, the Roman had beaten Zverev himself in the semifinals with a clear 6-3, 6-3, only to succumb in the final to American Ben Shelton 6-2, 7-5. A week that had already allowed him to equal his best ranking, set at number 13 in the world.

Before that, in the round of 16 in Madrid, Cobolli had signed what until a few days ago was considered the most prestigious victory of his career: victory over Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, at the end of a two-hour, twenty-minute battle. It was a match played with great character, in which the Roman had managed to overturn a difficult moment in the third set – when he found himself down 3-4 – by scoring ten consecutive points and literally sending the Russian into a tailspin. The defeat against Zverev, therefore, does not erase the good things built up in recent weeks, but it does leave some regrets: the German, who had also shown obvious difficulties in recent months – with seven consecutive defeats against Jannik Sinner, the last of which 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals in Monte Carlo – rediscovered his best tennis right at the worst time for Cobolli, who appeared to be running out of energy.