ATP Tour

Medvedev sinks Zverev in Halle, reaches first final in 15 months

Daniil Medvedev advanced to his first final in 15 months on Saturday, when he overcame long-time rival Alexander Zverev 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4 at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

In a typically tight clash between the two, Medvedev recovered from squandering three match points on the Zverev serve at 5-6 in the second set, eventually advancing after two hours and 58 minutes at the ATP 500 event.

"I am happy with my level, I played great," Medvedev said. "I could have done much better when I had the break in the second but it is normal. The same happened in the third set that when I had the break, he started playing better, returning better.

"I am happy that in the third set I managed to stay more composed and managed to save those break points. I would have loved to finish on the match points [in the second set]. The first one I went for it and missed it. The second one I went a bit slower to wait for a mistake and he made a great point. I am happy to win in the end."

Meddy back in the mix 🏆

[3] @DaniilMedwed books his first final since March 2024 with a bruising 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4 battle vs Zverev@ATPHalle | #ATPHalle pic.twitter.com/QLQCEDOQ6p

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 21, 2025

With victory in Germany, Medvedev extended his lead against Zverev to 13-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and has now won their past four matches. This was their first meeting since the 2024 Australian Open semi-finals, in which Medvedev recorded a five-set victory.

"All the matches are very tight. When the matches are tight like today, they can go any way," Medvedev said. "It is very, very close. I am happy I managed to win. It is tough, he serves good. I had two games that I broke him."

Medvedev will try to capture his 21st tour-level title and first since Rome in May 2023 when he takes on Jannik Sinner’s-conqueror Alexander Bublik in Sunday’s final.

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Prior to this week, Medvedev had not advanced to a final since March 2024, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells. The 29-year-old has been close to his best this week in Halle, where he defeated Daniel Altmaier, Quentin Halys and Alex Michelsen without dropping a set. He is up to No. 9 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will return to the Top 10 on Monday.

Zverev was aiming to reach the final in Halle for the third time and first since 2017. The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings leaves Germany still seeking his maiden grass-court tour-level crown.

In a tense opening set, Medvedev had to pause for treatment for a nosebleed at 4-4, adding unexpected drama to an already tight contest. But when it came to the tie-break, it was Zverev who cracked, firing four unforced errors in a scrappy breaker to gift Medvedev the early advantage.

The German’s troubles continued as he was broken at the start of the second, but he dug deep to claw his way back before he saved three match points on serve at 5-6. In a mammoth 12th game of the set, Zverev finally held and forced another tie-break when on the defence, he flicked an audacious backhand winner down the line to win a 21-shot rally. The second seed was razor sharp in the breaker to force a third set after two hours and six minutes.

Medvedev responded quickly in the third set by breaking Zverev and was the more proactive in the decider, striking 12 winners to Zverev’s six, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to advance.

In the second semi-final, Bublik backed up his win against World No. 1 Sinner by defeating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. The 27-year-old fired 18 aces to return to the Halle final, two years after he won the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500.

Bublik is up 10 spots to No. 35 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will compete for his fifth tour-level title on Sunday. It is the first time Bublik has reached a final since Dubai last February.