Hurkacz moves past Zverev to reach Halle final

Former champion Hubert Hurkacz moved to within one win of clinching his second title at the Terra Wortmann Open on Saturday when he overcame World No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 6-4.

The fifth-seeded Pole produced an impressive serving display in his semi-final clash against Zverev, firing 17 aces and saving all four break points he faced to earn his fifth Top 10 grass-court win.

With his one-hour, 33-minute triumph in Halle, Hurkacz improved to 1-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev. Into his 11th tour-level final, the 27-year-old will aim to clinch his ninth ATP Tour title when he faces top seed Jannik Sinner or China’s Zhang Zhizhen on Sunday.

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Hurkacz has often produced his best level on grass, winning the title at the ATP 500 event in 2022. The 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist is up two spots to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will move to a career high on Monday.

Germany’s Zverev advanced to the title match on home soil in Halle in 2016 and 2017 but was unable to find a way past Hurkacz, who won 81 per cent (43/56) of his first-serve points according to ATP Infosys Stats. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion leaves the event holding a 37-11 record on the season.

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