Madrid, April 30 It was time for some brotherly attention, pride and love at the Madrid Open 2026 ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Thursday, and it involved World No.2, Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz made the trip to the Caja Magica to follow the debut of his brother Jaime, who, at just 14 years of age, is playing in the Under-16 section of the Madrid Open, a tournament that brings together the most promising talent from around Spain. The competition, designed to strengthen the future of tennis, provides the young hopefuls with a chance to compete on the same stage as the ATP Tour’s stars.
The No. 2 player in the ATP Rankings watched closely on Court 7 as Jaime opened with a 6-3, 6-3 win over his compatriot Pol Mas in one of the most-watched matches of the day. Carlos wished his brother all the best as the match was about to start, before witnessing the entire encounter unfold from the stands alongside some relatives.
The Under-16 Madrid Open has become a big attraction at the Spanish ATP Masters 1000 event since it began in 2013. Emerging stars of Spanish tennis like Martin Landaluce, Daniel Merida, and Rafael Jodar, all of whom have had a share of the limelight this fortnight in the Spanish capital, have previously played in the event.
Alcaraz, who is not competing in Madrid due to a right wrist injury, owns a 22-3 record on the season, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index.
Blockx busts Ruud’s title defence
Meanwhile, in the main Madrid Open, Alexander Blockx upset 12th seed and 2025 champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to march into the semi-finals at the clay ATP Masters 1000 event. The World No. 69 Blockx, who had not won an ATP Tour match on clay before his third-round run at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this month, produced a classy all-around display to overwhelm Ruud inside Manolo Santana Stadium.
“To be honest, I’m just happy with being here,” said Blockx, who has also upset third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo en route to the last four. “Even winning my first match here. I barely escaped in the first round, and I was happy about that already. The semi-finals are something I wouldn’t have even dreamed of to begin with.
“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches. I think the conditions suit me well here. I feel like it’s clay while, ch 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. I think it’s the perfect combination for me.”
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