Blockx sends Nakashima packing as Madrid’s seed exodus continues
Alexander Blockx edged out Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday and will play the winner of the match between Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 3 seed, in the next round
Alexander Blockx, 2026 | © Imago / PsNewz
Alexander Blockx continued his emergence as one of the tour’s most watchable young players by beating American Brandon Nakashima, the No 28 seed, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday at the Mutua Madrid Open, eliminating the sixth seeded player to fall at the Caja Mágica in two days.
The Belgian, ranked No 69, dropped the opening set before finding his range and closing out the match with the kind of composed, heavy-hitting tennis that has become his calling card. He had beaten Chilean Cristian Garin in three sets in the previous round to reach the second round.
The scale of the upset wave across Thursday and Friday put the Nakashima defeat in sharp context. No 4 seed Ben Shelton fell to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in three hours; No 5 Alex de Minaur was dismantled 6-3, 6-1 by Spanish wild card Rafael Jodar; No 9 Andrey Rublev lost to Czech Vit Kopriva 6-3, 6-4; No 14 Valentin Vacherot was beaten by Emilio Nava; and No 15 Tommy Paul fell to Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante. Nakashima became the sixth.
Blockx, a rising force in the ATP Tour
Blockx, 21, born in Antwerp, and has been building quietly and methodically. A former Australian Open junior champion in 2023, he reached his career-high ranking of No 71 after a third-round run at Monte-Carlo earlier this month – his deepest result at Masters level on clay. He began the year by winning the Canberra Challenger to make his top-100 debut, and has posted a 21-9 record in 2026.
He will face the winner of the match between Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 3 seed, and Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas next.
