Hubert Hurkacz enhanced his reputation as a fine grass-court player with a straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev at the Halle Open semi-finals. It was a dominant display from the 27-year-old, as Zverev’s struggles on grass continued. Hurkacz – who won this competition in 2022 – will play Jannik Sinner in the final after he beat Zhizhen Zhang.
Hubert Hurkacz avenged his United Cup defeat to Alexander Zverev earlier this year with a comprehensive 7-6(2) 6-4 victory over the world No. 4 in the Halle Open semi-finals to set up a meeting with Jannik Sinner in the final.
Hurkacz was representing Poland in the men’s singles match at the team competition in Sydney in January, as Zverev – playing for Germany – saved two championship points before his nation prevailed in the decisive doubles encounter.
The Pole claimed his first win against a top-10 ranked player this year after ending a four-match losing run against such opponents, and a first against Zverev on the German’s home soil.
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As for Zverev, his wait for a first title on grass continued and compounded his recent semi-final woes, with this his 11th defeat from 15 previous last-four clashes on the main tour since the start of 2023.
Speaking after the match Hurkacz revealed his joy playing on the surface, claiming: “I love grass” in his post-match interview.
He said: “Sascha [Zverev] is such a great competitor; he was playing some incredible tennis after reaching the French Open final and was playing at a really high level.
“My previous match against him at the beginning of the year in the United Cup finals was sitting in the back of the mind. I had two match points against Sascha, and I thought to myself: ‘not today.’
“I’m really confident on my serve, I’ve been serving well. There were some moments where he had hit some love 30s, but I still thought I could get some good points and shots to win those games. I stayed calm.
“I really love grass; the surface suits my game and the atmosphere of having a full crowd is really incredible.”
Hurkacz claimed a hard-fought hold in the seventh game after aggressively swatting away four break-point opportunities for the German, with none materialising for either player in the opening six games.
A first set tie-break belied the cagey nature of the opener – as the Pole comprehensively prevailed 6-2 and sealed the deal with a superb ace.
Hurkacz moved a set and a break up in the third game of the second set, which seemed even more significant considering it was the first time Zverev had been broken in this tournament.
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The world No. 9 was one game away from another appearance in the final in Halle after showcasing a devastating array of serve-and-volley play, leaving Zverev on the ropes.
The Pole would go onto serve for the match, doing so with an emphatic hold to love and sealing a place in another final in Halle.