Fritz takes down Zverev again to reach Halle final

BERLIN: Taylor Fritz came from a set down on Saturday to see off French Open champion Alexander Zverev 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5 and book his place in the ATP final on the grass in Halle.

It continues a remarkable run for the American who has now won his past seven meetings against the world No.3 and top seed. He leads their head-to-head 10-5.

In Sunday’s final, Fritz will be aiming for an 11th career title on the tour, and a sixth on grass, when he faces Frances Tiafoe after his compatriot beat German wildcard Daniel Altmaier 6-1, 6-3.

After making the better start by breaking to lead 3–1, Zverev then ran into difficulties in the heat and had to stop at 4–3 (40/40) on Fritz’s serve, leaving the court for a medical timeout.

After a brief interruption of a few minutes, Zverev found the energy to take the opening set in a tie-break.

Hampered and weakened by the heat, he dropped his serve at the end of the second set, giving Fritz the chance to serve to level the match at one set all – an opportunity the American seized.

That pattern repeated in the deciding set, with Fritz breaking Zverev before a possible tie-break to close out the match.

The 28-year-old Fritz will play the 22nd ATP final of his career and his third this season, although he is still chasing a first title in 2026.

Fritz’s last three trophies have all come on grass, his favourite surface — at Eastbourne and Stuttgart in 2025, and at Eastbourne in 2024. Last year, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

World number 26 Tiafoe’s semi-final success means the pair will become Halle’s first American finalists since Mardy Fish in 2004.

“I thought it was really good today,” former US Open semi-finalist Tiafoe said.

“It could have been a different match when I played a loose game at 3-2 in the second set, but I got a hold there and kept the momentum,” the 28-year-old added.