In a stunning upset during the Vienna Open semi-finals, Alexander Zverev fell to Alex de Minaur, marking his first defeat since guaranteeing his place as the men’s world number one.
The tournament’s top-seeded German, set to officially overtake Jannik Sinner at the pinnacle of the world rankings this coming Monday, succumbed 4-6 6-1 6-7 (4-7) to his Australian opponent, seeded fifth.
This win propels the 27-year-old De Minaur past Spanish contender Rafael Jodar in the standings to secure a berth at the year-end ATP Finals.
“Extremely proud of the way I managed the match,” stated De Minaur.
“I dictated play on my own terms. My plan was to come out aggressive, executing the proper game plan, and that ultimately dictated the outcome today.”
Following a drop in the opening set, Zverev dominated De Minaur throughout the second before engaging in a fiercely contested final set.
As both competitors failed to generate a single break point chance, De Minaur maintained his composure during the decisive tie-break, sealing the match in just under two and a half hours.
In the championship match, De Minaur is slated to take on Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed from Spain, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion earned a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) triumph against the third-seeded Russian, booking a spot in his fifth final of the current season.
This outcome prolonged Alcaraz’s undefeated streak in ATP 500 tournaments to 25 contests, with the 23-year-old’s most recent loss at this tier coming against Holger Rune during the Barcelona Open back in April 2025.
This marks De Minaur’s fourth final appearance of the season, having claimed his lone trophy so far at the Rotterdam Open in February.
