Alexander Blockx Explained

Alexander Blockx
Residence:Antwerp
Birth Date:2005 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Antwerp, Belgium
Plays:Right-handed
Coach:Philippe Cassiers
Careerprizemoney:$71,750
Singlesrecord:0–1 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Singlestitles:0
Highestsinglesranking:No. 289 (6 May 2024)
Currentsinglesranking:No. 300 (10 June 2024)
Australianopenresult:Q1 (2024)
Australianopenjuniorresult:W (2023)
Frenchopenjuniorresult:3R (2023)
Wimbledonjuniorresult:3R (2022)
Usopenjuniorresult:QF (2022)
Doublesrecord:0–1 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)[1]
Highestdoublesranking:No. 1162 (17 July 2023)
Currentdoublesranking:No. 1313 (27 May 2024)
Australianopendoublesjuniorresult:F (2023)
Frenchopendoublesjuniorresult:1R (2022)
Wimbledondoublesjuniorresult:1R (2022)
Usopendoublesjuniorresult:2R (2022)
Updated:28 May 2024

Alexander Blockx (born 8 April 2005) is a Belgian tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking of No. 289 achieved on 6 May 2024. He also reached a career-high junior ranking of No. 1 in singles and doubles on 1 May 2023 [2] after winning the 2023 Australian Open in the boys singles and reaching the final in the boys doubles.[3]

Early life

Blockx is from Antwerp in Belgium.[4] He has trained since childhood with Philippe Cassiers at his Forest Hills tennis academy in Belgium.[5] By 2022, he was training at the Tennis Vlaanderen centre in Wilrijk, Antwerp alongside the likes of Tibo Colson, Zizou Bergs and Ruben Bemelmans.[6] [7]

Career

2022: ATP doubles debut

In 2022, Blockx reached the third round and then quarterfinals of the junior events at Wimbledon and the US Open, respectively. Shortly after the US Open, Blockx and sometimes junior doubles partner Gilles-Arnaud Bailly were invited to train with the Belgium Davis Cup team by captain Johan Van Herck.

Blockx made his ATP Tour qualifying debut at his home tournament, the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium, where he was given a wildcard. He lost to Swiss Dominic Stricker in straight sets.[8] He was also given a wildcard into the main draw of the doubles, playing alongside Ruben Bemelmans in what proved to be Bemelmans' last professional match.[9]

2023: Australian Open Junior Champion, ATP singles and top 500 debuts

Blockx reached the final at the 2023 Australian Open in both the boys' singles[10] [11] and, alongside Brazilian João Fonseca, the boys' doubles, which they lost to Learner Tien and Cooper Williams.[12] Blockx gained revenge over Tien by winning the boys' singles final in three sets.Although Gilles-Arnaud Bailly reached two junior Grand Slam finals in 2022, the last Belgian male to win a junior Major, prior to Blockx, was Kimmer Coppejans at the 2012 French Open. No Belgian male had previously won the boys' singles in Melbourne.[13]

In March 2023, he made his Masters 1000 qualifications debut after receiving a wildcard for the 2023 Miami Open where he lost to Yosuke Watanuki.

He received a wildcard for the qualifying competition at the Antwerp Open and qualified into the main draw on his ATP singles debut. In his very first ATP Tour singles main draw match ever in own hometown, he lost to fifth seed Yannick Hanfmann in two close sets. Just a week after his first appearance in the ATP circuit, he won his first ITF title in Glasgow. And a week later, he remained unbeatable, he won his second title in Sunderland. Partly due to his first qualification for an ATP tournament and winning two ITF titles, he entered the top 500 for the first time in his career on 6 November 2023.

2024: Top 300

He received a wildcard for the qualifying competition at the 2024 Australian Open. He reached a new career high ranking in the top 300 of No. 294 on 18 March 2024. He also received a qualifying wildcard for the 2024 Miami Open but lost to Pedro Martinez in the first round.

ITF World Tennis Tour finals

Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1M15 Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptWTTHard Saba Purtseladze3–6, 4–6
Loss0–2M25 Falun, SwedenWTTHard Tibo Colson5–7, 6–4, 3–6
Win1–2M25 Glasgow, United KingdomWTTHard Anton Matusevich5–7, 6–4, 6–2
Win2–2M25 Sunderland, United KingdomWTTHard Tibo Colson4–6, 6–2, 6–4

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

ResultYearwidth=150TournamentSurfacewidth=150Opponentwidth=150Score
Win2023Australian OpenHard Learner Tien6–1, 2–6, 7–6(11–9)

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

ResultYearwidth=150TournamentSurfacewidth=150Partnerwidth=150Opponentswidth=150Score
Loss2023Australian OpenHard João Fonseca Learner Tien
Cooper Williams
4–6, 4–6

Performance timeline

Singles

TournamentSRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenQ10 / 00–0
French OpenA0 / 00–0
Wimbledon0 / 00–0
US Open0 / 00–0
style=text-align:leftWin–loss0–00 / 00–0

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alexander Blockx. atp.com.
  2. Web site: Alexander Blockx. itftennis.com.
  3. Web site: Alexander Blockx, Alina Korneeva win Australian Open junior titles. ESPN. 28 January 2023 .
  4. Web site: Remember the name: Alexander Blockx, 17-year-old Belgian, is in singles and doubles finals at Australian Open. hln.be.
  5. Web site: Australian Open: Philippe Cassiers, coach of Alexander Blockx: "A great experience for him". rtbf.be.
  6. Web site: Gilles-Arnaud Bailly in Italy, Tibo Colson in Sweden: double Limburg success at M25 tournaments. hblv.be. 15 October 2023. 30 September 2023. Johan. Mulders.
  7. Web site: After a tournament victory in Montenegro, Christopher Heyman also wants to score in Duffel: "I have a clear plan in mind". gva.be. 15 October 2023. Bart. D'haene . June 16, 2022.
  8. Web site: Alexander Blockx: the next big promise in Belgian men's tennis. Proximus.be.
  9. Web site: Topweek voor Alexander Blockx op European Open: "Trainen met Auger-Aliassime, dat kan maar één keer per jaar". hln.be.
  10. Web site: AUSTRALIAN OPEN. Alexander Blockx naar finale juniorentoernooi. Nieuwsblad.be.
  11. Web site: Australian Open: Belgian Alexander Blockx qualifies for the final of the junior table. rtbf.be.
  12. Web site: 17-jarige Alexander Blockx staat in halve finales van juniorentoernooi op Australian Open. Sporza.bel. 26 January 2023.
  13. Web site: Juniors wrap: Korneeva wins marathon, Blockx stacks up. ausopen.com.