Alex De Minaur edged past Alexander Zverev in the Vienna semi-finals and will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
The Australian battled and fought past the soon-to-be world number one by winning a last set tiebreak.
In the opening set De Minaur battled and showed tenacity as he took the set 6-4 before Zverev showed his world-class qualities to level the match at one set all.
In the deciding set both players traded critical blows but it was De Minaur who took the last set tiebreak 7-4 to seal a big win and a place in the Vienna final.
The win also means he jumps above Rafael Jodar in the race for Turin and is currently ninth in the rankings as he bids to qualify for the event for a third consecutive time.
After the match De Minaur was proud with the way he battled to victory in Austria, “Super proud, super proud with how I handled the situation,” the Australian explained.
“I was very calm, even though I threw in a couple doubles there. I thought, all in all, I played a very aggressive tie-break. I played on my terms. I was going to go out swinging and playing the right type of tennis, and that’s what made the difference today.
“I’m just happy with what I’m doing, the way I’m competing and going about my business. I’m just [putting] one foot in front of the other. Ultimately, I’m playing some good tennis, so I’m looking forward to hopefully finishing [the season] strong.”
In order to put himself in an even better position heading into Paris then De Minaur will need to overturn a seven match losing streak against Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
The Spaniard is searching for a first title in Vienna and overcame Daniil Medvedev 6-4 7-6(2) to reach the final at the Erste Bank Open.
Since his loss in the final to Holger Rune in the 2025 Barcelona final, Alcaraz has won 25 consecutive matches at ATP 500 level.
Now in his fifth final of the season Alcaraz looks to continue his momentum and win a big title on the road to Turin.
