De Minaur Beats Zverev to Reach Vienna Open Final

Alex de Minaur has beaten Alexander Zverev for the first time in an individual tournament. The Australian won 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) in the Vienna Open semi-final and plays Carlos Alcaraz for the title.

A match decided in the tiebreak

De Minaur took the first set, lost the second as his serve faltered, then played a deciding tiebreak that he described as very aggressive. He won the first three points with shot-making that gave him control, despite a couple of double faults.

He hit 25 winners in all. Zverev, who looked irritated, was given a time violation for his long ball-bouncing routine before serves. He argued with umpire Arnaud Gabas, who took the sanction back.

"I was very calm, even though I threw in a couple of doubles there," De Minaur said.

The Turin race and the rankings

The result pushed De Minaur back among the top eight qualifiers for the ATP Finals. Next week's Paris Masters is the last qualifying event in the Race to Turin.

Zverev becomes world No 1 in next week's rankings. De Minaur is currently 10th, and a title in Vienna would take him to seventh.

His earlier wins over Zverev had come only in early-season team events and at the Laver Cup, which is an exhibition.

Alcaraz waits in the final

Alcaraz reached the final by beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) in the other semi-final.

De Minaur has met Alcaraz six times and lost every match, including at this year's Australian Open. The tournament is an ATP 500 event.

Our View

A win in the final would bring De Minaur real ranking gains. A title would lift him from 10th to seventh and move him closer to a third successive Turin appearance.

His record against Alcaraz is the obstacle. The open question is whether the aggressive, front-foot style that worked against Zverev can work against Alcaraz, who has won all six of their meetings.

Source: the Guardian