Relentless Daniil Medvedev digs deep to deny Alexander Zverev and reach Halle Open final

Daniil Medvedev claimed the victory in new classic against Alexander Zverev with a 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-4 victory, advancing to the Halle Open final. The Russian managed to maintain his composure better in moments under pressure and ultimately secured a tight win, extending his head-to-head lead to 13-7.

Medvedev has now won 8 of their last 9 encounters against Zverev – with the sole exception being the 2021 ATP Finals final. The Russian returns to the Halle final – where he fell to Hubert Hurkacz in 2022 – and will seek his second grass-court title this Sunday. He will face the winner between his compatriot Karen Khachanov (8th seed) and the 2023 champion Alexander Bublik.

These two players, more than familiar with each other on Tour and protagonists of major tournaments throughout this decade, met again for the first time this season. Medvedev was the first to threaten his opponent's serve around the third game with the first break point, but he couldn't convert it. Both players were practically equally effective on serve: they both matched with a 78% first-serve percentage, with Medvedev winning 79% of those points and Zverev 78%.

The small differences were in the second serves, where Medvedev managed to extend rallies and take the initiative in points. Nevertheless, everything went to a tie-break with no breaks for either player. This is where Medvedev maintained his composure, securing three consecutive mini-breaks and taking a comfortable 5-0 lead. Without too many complications, he closed the tie-break 7-6(7-3) after an hour of play.

The differences had been minimal in favor of the Russian, but the second set quickly tilted in his favor. An opening break put him up 2-0, and things started to look grim for Zverev. However, the German reacted by breaking back, restoring parity. Again, both players showed minimal differences on serve, and not many long rallies were played. At 2-2, Medvedev saved a break point against him, and then both held their serves practically without conceding points for a large part of the set.

Everything seemed headed for another tie-break when Medvedev was up 6-5, but the pressure on Zverev complicated him at the decisive moment. A couple of unforced errors ultimately cost him three match points for Medvedev, who was unable to convert them. In the tie-break, Zverev seized momentum after being on the brink, taking a comfortable 7-6(7-1) tie-break by winning all four of his opponent's service points.

Everything was uncertain again in the third set, with both players starting without seeming to drop their level. However, Medvedev got his first chance and took it to go up 2-1. In the next game, the Russian had to save four break points to maintain his lead, moving ahead 3-1. From that point on, the 2021 US Open champion only needed to hold his serve a few more times, and he delivered.

The Russian gave his opponent no opportunities and played several comfortable service games, always maintaining the lead in each one. With no new break chances for either player, Medvedev sealed the win at the most important moment, 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4. The former world No. 1 now awaits the winner between Karen Khachanov and Alexander Bublik in the final.