Match Report
Zverev survives Mensik test to break Madrid QF drought
German will face Cobolli in last eight
April 28, 2026
OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP via Getty Images
Alexander Zverev is a two-time champion in Madrid.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev is back in the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals.
The German, who lost in the fourth round in each of the past three editions of the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event, returned to the last eight in the Spanish capital on Tuesday when he defeated Jakub Mensik 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3.
After Mensik took the second set in a tie-break, the Czech broke for a 2-1 lead in the decider with a forehand volley on the full stretch. But Zverev remained calm, immediately retrieving the service break and winning five of the final six games to triumph in two hours and 19 minutes.
“I’m very happy with the battle,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “Against him, in altitude, very, very difficult. He serves incredible. So yeah, I’m definitely happy with the match and happy with the win.”
Aiming to clinch his third Madrid crown, Zverev won 81 per cent of his first-serve points against Mensik and saved two of the three break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Zverev has now reached at least the quarter-finals in six of the seven events he has played this season, including all four Masters 1000 tournaments. With his fourth-round victory in Madrid, the 29-year-old became the second man this decade — after Jannik Sinner in 2024 and 2026 — to reach the quarter-finals at each of the first four Masters 1000 events of a season.
The second seed made a rapid start to his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Mensik. The German broke the 20-year-old’s serve in the opening game and backed it with a solid serving display. The 29-year-old crucially saved a break point at 5-4 30/40 with an ace and eventually sealed the set in 38 minutes, having dropped only three points on his first serve.
Neither player earned a break point in the second set, leading to the back-and-forth decider, in which Zverev won 48 per cent of his return points to rally past the Czech.
Mensik, who reached the last eight in Madrid in 2025, was aiming to repeat his run. However, the 23rd seed was unable to respond to Zverev’s serving performance, missing out on a chance to advance to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final. Earlier this season, the 20-year-old clinched the title at the ATP 250 event in Auckland and reached the semi-finals in Doha, where he upset Jannik Sinner to reach the semi-finals.
With his victory, Zverev improved to 28-6 at the Caja Magica, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The two-time champion will play Flavio Cobolli for a place in the semi-finals. Zverev leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-1, but the Italian emerged victorious against him 6-3, 6-3 in the recent Munich semi-finals.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cobolli prevailed 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 against Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The Italian earned a decisive break of serve in the ninth game of the third set and eventually sealed the win in two hours and 19 minutes.
“Incredible [improvement]. He’s a very streaky player, but when he plays well, he plays really well. And he [has] shown that the last couple of weeks,” Zverev said. “He made the final in Munich, quarter-finals here now. I do feel like if I play well, if I play good tennis, I will have good chances, and I have to trust myself.”
