The semifinal match of the Halle Open between Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz was a testament to the German's ability, one that hasn't yet allowed him to win a grass-court title. He wasn't dominating the American, but he was even in the match at all. Zverev was dealing with an obvious back issue, and yet, he still found a way to be competitive.
In the first set on his serve, trying to get back to 4-all, Zverev needed a medical timeout at 40-all. He left the court for six minutes, and one might have wondered if the German would continue playing. Had he stopped and decided to rest before Wimbledon began on June 29, no one would have blamed him.
Maybe he was further driven, though, by an internal need to prove he could defeat Fritz. Zverev had lost to the American in each of their past six meetings. The German was the more accomplished player overall, especially after he won his first major title at the 2026 French Open, but he struggled to beat Fritz.
Alexander Zverev falls to Taylor Fritz for the seventh straight time at the 2026 Halle Open
Each player had a break of service in the first set, but eventually it ended in a tie-break. Zverev began with a mini-break and he wouldn't give that up, leading the match by taking the opening set.
While clearly still struggling with his back in the second set, Zverev was able to use his elite serve to keep holding, while Fritz did the same. Neither truly challenged the other with breaks until the set was 4-all, and Fritz stunningly got a break of Zverev at love.
Zverev was likely hoping to set would go to another tie-break. He wasn't going to push his back too much. The Halle Open is a good tournament, but Zverev has bigger game to hunt at Wimbledon. After the break, however, the match was almost certainly going to a third set, and Zverev's stamina would be challenged.
After a hold, Fritz did force a final set, but Zverev's remaining close was somewhat surprising. He relies on his serve to be great, and landed just 52 percent of his first serves. In set two, Fritz had seven aces and no double faults, while Zverev had zero and one, respectively. If he could tick back up on his serve, he could likely still take the match.
That is exactly what he did, too. He shortened his service holds by landing first serves and rarely losing a point. Zverev also appeared to be moving around the court a little better too. His only issue was that Fritz was also holding serve relatively easily.
At 5-all, Alexander Zverev, still attempting to win his first-ever title at a grass-court tournament, had a sudden dip in form, and Fritz jumped out to a 0-40 lead. The German got two points back, but that was all, and Fritz led 6-5 with a chance to serve out the match. He would do so easily to take the set 7-5.
Taylor Fritz will next play the winner of the match between Frances Tiafoe and Daniel Altmaier in the Halle Open final on Sunday. Fritz will be the heavy favorite.
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