Tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his first Vienna Open final after defeating third-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6:4, 7:6(2) at the Erste Bank Open, setting up a championship clash against Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur. The 97-minute semifinal victory on the hard courts of the Wiener Stadthalle improved Alcaraz’s head-to-head record against Medvedev to 7:3, as reported by Die Presse.
Alcaraz Overcomes Medvedev in Straight Sets
The semifinal encounter mirrored the tactical patterns of Alcaraz’s earlier rounds in Vienna. After breaking serve early in the opening set, the Spaniard surrendered his advantage at 3:1 before securing another break at 5:4 to close out the frame. The second set followed a similar trajectory as Medvedev immediately countered a break, eventually forcing a tiebreak where Alcaraz asserted control to claim the match 6:4, 7:6(2).
🎾 🇷🇺 Daniil Medvedev vs Carlos Alcaraz 🇪🇸🏆 ERSTE BANK OPEN 2026 | SEMIFINAL PREVIEW & PREDICTIONA place in the Vienna final is at stake! Can Medvedev extend his winning streak, or will Alcaraz get his revenge for the Indian Wells defeat? 👀🔹 HEAD-TO-HEADAlcaraz leads…
It is something special,
Alcaraz said in his on-court interview following the 97-minute contest. That’s what I work every day for, to live these moments. I’m really, really happy to have made it. It’s a great week for me. This city is something very special, I love it. Let’s finish it well.
The victory marks Alcaraz’s win, matching the 6:4, 7:6 scoreline he produced against Karen Khachanov in the opening round and Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals. Gegen Paul brauchte Alcaraz 1 Stunde und 50 Minuten für den Einzug in die nächste Runde und feierte im zehnten Duell den siebenten Sieg in Folge gegen den US-Amerikaner.
Medvedev’s Autumn Run Ends in Vienna Semifinals
For Daniil Medvedev, the defeat halted a streak of reaching the semifinals at five consecutive tournaments. The 2022 Vienna champion navigated through a demanding draw in Austria, which included a grueling 2-hour, 31-minute second-round victory over Cameron Norrie where he saved a matchpoint before winning 4:6, 6:3, 7:6(1), as noted by SportNews.bz. During his quarterfinal win against Adrian Mannarino, Medvedev voiced frustration over the slow pace of the Stadthalle hard courts, comparing the surface conditions to clay.
It’s a bit like on a clay court, you have to develop the rally and I don’t like that so much,
Medvedev told ServusTV during the tournament. Despite the surface complaints, the Russian reached his 100th career ATP quarterfinal before falling to Alcaraz in the penultimate round.
Zverev Awaits in the Championship Match
Alcaraz advances to face Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur in Sunday afternoon’s singles final. Zverev earned his spot in the semifinals following a 6:0, 6:2 quarterfinal victory over Arthur Fery that lasted 58 minutes. The German player enters the tournament seeking to cap off a season in which he has reached 12 tournament semifinals and amassed 65 match victories against 14 defeats, according to tournament reports.
Für Alcaraz geht es um seinen 28. Titel auf der Tour, den heuer vierten, nachdem er zuvor bei den Australian Open, in Doha und Anfang Oktober in Tokio triumphierte.
Austrian Duo Reaches Doubles Final
While Alcaraz leads the singles charge, Austrian tennis fans have a local doubles pairing to support in the title match. Local favorites Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner secured their spot in the doubles final by defeating Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard 7:6(0), 7:6(9) on Saturday.
The milestone marks Miedler’s fourth Vienna final. He previously captured the title in 2022 and 2024 alongside Alexander Erler, and finished as runner-up last year partnering with Francisco Cabral, as documented in the official tournament records.
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