Madrid
Sinner swats aside Fils in Madrid SF, closes in on history
World No. 1, chasing fifth straight Masters 1000 title, faces Zverev or Blockx in final
May 01, 2026
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner defeats Arthur Fils in straight sets on Friday in Madrid.
By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner faced another heavy-hitting obstacle in his Mutua Madrid Open title charge on Friday, and the World No. 1 swatted it aside with trademark authority to surge into the championship match.
The 24-year-old Italian delivered a razor-sharp performance from the outset to dismantle Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 and reach his fifth consecutive final at Masters 1000 level. Sinner, who is aiming to become the first man in history to win five straight titles at this level, completed a polished semi-final victory inside Manolo Santana Stadium after 85 minutes.
“I tried to be very aggressive,” Sinner said. “I felt very comfortable on the return. In the second set, he started to serve better, so it was more difficult. But I’m very happy about the general performance today. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis, but today was a very good day in the office.”
Fresh from a clinical quarter-final win over fast-rising 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, where the Madrid native struck with fearless aggression, Sinner carried that same relentless precision into his clash with Fils. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings stretched the Frenchman corner to corner with unerring accuracy, firing 17 winners to Fils’ 10 in a dominant display.
Sinner will meet two-time Madrid champion Alexander Zverev or 21-year-old Belgian Alexander Blockx in Sunday’s final. Their semi-final is scheduled for not before 8 p.m. on Friday evening.
Following his run to a second Masters 1000 semi-final, Fils has jumped eight spots to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The former World No. 14 last year suffered a back injury, which kept him out for eight months before returning to action in Montpellier in February.
Entering the match on a nine-match winning streak, highlighted by his ATP 500 triumph in Barcelona, Fils struggled to withstand Sinner’s relentless pressure. The Italian dropped just three of 24 first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and did not face a break point.
“I knew it before the match: He is one of the best players in the world at the moment,” Sinner said of Fils, who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. “I’m very happy that I played against him. He is very good for tennis, for the sport.”
With his victory, Sinner became the fourth — and youngest — man to reach the final at all nine Masters 1000 events, joining Novak Djokovic (25y), Rafael Nadal (27y) and Roger Federer (30y). He has now won 27 consecutive matches at this level, a streak that includes titles in Paris last year and Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo in 2026.