Zverev Falls to De Minaur in Vienna Semifinal Before Historic World No. 1 Ranking

Alexander Zverev’s preparations for his historic rise to the top of men’s tennis suffered a setback after Australia’s Alex de Minaur defeated him in a thrilling three-set semifinal at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Saturday.

De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat the German 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), denying him the opportunity to celebrate his impending rise to World No. 1 with a tournament title.

The Australian made a strong start to the deciding tiebreak, racing to a 3-0 lead before holding his nerve to seal an impressive victory. The win also strengthened De Minaur’s chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals, the season-ending championship scheduled for next month.

Despite the defeat, Zverev is set to achieve a major career milestone on Monday when he replaces Italy’s Jannik Sinner as the world’s top-ranked men’s singles player.

At 29, Zverev will become the 30th different player to occupy the No. 1 position since the rankings were introduced. He will also be the oldest player to reach the top spot for the first time since 1974.

De Minaur will now face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final after the Spaniard defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the other semifinal.

Alcaraz secured his place in the title clash with a straight-sets victory, setting up an exciting contest against an Australian opponent who has already produced one of the tournament’s biggest surprises.