Medvedev defeats old rival Zverev to reach Halle Open final, Bublik awaits

HALLE, Germany (AP) — Daniil Medvedev ended home favorite Alexander Zverev’s hopes of grass-court glory with a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (1), 6-4 win in their Halle Open semifinal on Saturday.

Medvedev recovered from squandering three match points on Zverev’s serve at 5-6 in the second set and took nearly 3 hours to get past his old rival and reach his first final in 15 months.

“I could have done much better when I had the break in the second but it is normal,” Medvedev said. “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.”

It’s Medvedev’s fourth consecutive win over Zverev and it extended his lead to 13-7 in their head-to-head series.

The Russian player will face Alexander Bublik — who beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the second round — in Sunday’s final.

Bublik, the 2023 champion, fired 18 aces as he defeated Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the other semifinal.

Medvedev hasn’t played a final since March 2024, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells.

Zverev, who had been bidding to reach the Halle final for the third time, will have to wait for his first title on grass.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis