De Minaur defeats world number one-bound Zverev in Vienna semi-final

Alexander Zverev lost 4-6 6-1 6-7 (4-7) to Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals of the Vienna Open on 31 October 2026, his first defeat since securing the men's world number one ranking. The German top seed was beaten by the Australian fifth seed in a match that ended inside two hours and 30 minutes.

Zverev had won the French Open and US Open this year and entered Vienna as the tournament's top seed. He is due to replace Jannik Sinner at the summit of the men's rankings on Monday. Alex de Minaur entered the match as the fifth seed.

The match was decided in three sets, with Zverev losing the first 4-6, dominating the second 6-1, and then falling in a tight deciding set 6-7 (4-7). After Zverev's second-set response, the final set produced no break-point opportunities for either player. De Minaur prevailed in the tie-break to secure the victory.

Victory moved 27-year-old De Minaur ahead of Spain's Rafael Jodar in the race to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals. "Super proud with how I handled the situation," said De Minaur "I played on my terms. I was going to go out swinging and playing the right type of tennis, and that's what made the difference today." He will be competing in his fourth final of the year and his sole title this season came at the Rotterdam Open in February.

De Minaur will face Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the Vienna Open final after Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Alcaraz secured a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) victory to reach his fifth final of the year and extended his unbeaten run at ATP 500 events to 25 matches, last suffering defeat at that level to Holger Rune at the Barcelona Open in April 2025.

The final will pit De Minaur, appearing in his fourth final of the year, against Alcaraz, who has now reached his fifth final of 2026.