Daniil Medvedev ends 15-month drought with win over Alexander Zverev in Halle semifinals

On Saturday, Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, securing a spot in Sunday’s championship match against Aleksandr Bublik. The former World No. 1 ended a long-running drought with the victory.

Medvedev is set to play in his first ATP Tour final in 15 months. His last appearance in a decisive match came in March 2024, when he reached the final at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 but lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz.

Now Daniil faces an even tougher challenge: ending his ongoing losing streak in finals and winning a title for the first time in over two years. His most recent tournament win came in May 2023, when he lifted the trophy at the Rome Masters 1000.

Since then, Medvedev has reached the final in five different tournaments—and lost every single one. In 2023, he was beaten by Novak Djokovic at the US Open and twice by Jannik Sinner at the China Open and Vienna Open. The following year, the young Italian got the better of him again at the Australian Open, followed by the aforementioned loss to Alcaraz at Indian Wells.

Aleksandr Bublik will be Medvedev’s rival in the final at Halle.

Medvedev reflects on his win over Zverev

The road to the Halle final included some tough opponents for Medvedev, but none more formidable than in the semifinals. He defeated World No. 3 and second seed Alexander Zverev 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. “All the matches are very tight. When the matches are tight like today, they can go any way,” he said after the match, according to the ATP Tour’s official website. “It is very, very close. I am happy I managed to win. It is tough, he serves good. I had two games that I broke him.”

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Later, Daniil expressed satisfaction with his performance. “I am happy with my level, I played great,” he said, though he regretted not closing the match out earlier to avoid a grueling third set. “I could have done much better when I had the break in the second but it is normal… I am happy to win in the end.”

Medvedev’s opponent

After taking down Zverev, Daniil Medvedev will now face Aleksandr Bublik in the Halle final. The Kazakh player has had a standout tournament, eliminating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the round of 16 and booking his place in the final with a win over Karen Khachanov on Saturday. Bublik is aiming for the fifth title of his career—and his first of 2025.