Zverev Reaches Halle SFs, Sets Bublik Clash

Two-time finalist Alexander Zverev moved to within two wins of capturing his first Terra Wortmann Open title on Friday when he defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-3.

The German overcame Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov in his first two matches and produced another consistent performance in front of his home fans in Halle, committing just 12 unforced errors to advance after one hour and 56 minutes.

There was only one key moment of difficulty for the the Zverev in the match. In the second set, he faced three break points at 4-2, but fended off the danger with big serving and powerful backhands to hold.

With his 24th win of the season, Zverev improved to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Jarry, avenging his May semi-final defeat against the 27-year-old in Geneva, where the Chilean won the title.

Zverev, who reached finals in Halle in 2016-17, is seeking his first title of the season since 2021, when he triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals. Earlier this season, the World No. 22 reached semi-finals in Dubai, Geneva and Roland Garros.

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In other action, Alexander Bublik reached his second tour-level semi-final of the season when Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to injury.

Bublik, who advanced to the last four in Marseille in February, was leading the 21-year-old 7-5, 2-0 when Sinner was forced to stop at the ATP 500 grass-court event. The 25-year-old will meet Zverev in the semi-finals on Saturday.