Alcaraz reaches first Vienna final, to face de Minaur after Zverev upset

Carlos Alcaraz secured his first Vienna Open final berth on Saturday, triumphing over Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6-4, 7-6(2). His victory places him alongside Australian Alex de Minaur, who dismantled Alexander Zverev 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) to make history by achieving his first-ever Vienna final appearance. Alcaraz has now reached his 37th tour-level final, making it his fifth final of the year, while extending his ATP 500 win streak to an impressive 25 matches.

The second-seeded Spaniard capitalized on Medvedev's double-fault to take the opening set, but the Russian mounted a resilient comeback in the second set, forcing a tiebreak. Alcaraz ultimately dominated in the breaker, winning in 96 minutes. This result serves as a form of retribution for Alcaraz, who suffered his first defeat of the season against Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals last month, ultimately ending the Russian's seven-match winning streak.

Both Alcaraz and De Minaur are among the four players securing their spots in the upcoming ATP Finals. De Minaur's standout performance against the world number one-elect Zverev marks one of his best career wins, improving his indoor record to 10-0 this season. His achievement also advances him to the 23rd tour-level final of his career, while denying Zverev a spot in the final following his confirmed promotion to world number one on Monday. Alcaraz and De Minaur are set to face off in Sunday's final.