Alex de Minaur defeated Alexander Zverev 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) in the Vienna Open semi-finals on Saturday, handing the German his first loss since securing the year-end world number one ranking.
Zverev will officially replace Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings on Monday, according to both ABC News and BBC Sport. The 27-year-old Australian, ranked tenth, had never beaten Zverev in an individual tournament before Saturday's match at the Wiener Stadthalle.
De Minaur played an aggressive deciding tiebreak after Zverev levelled the contest with a dominant second set. The Australian saved two double faults in the tiebreak and won the first three points to take control. The match lasted two hours and 30 minutes with no break points in the final set, BBC Sport reported.
"I'm super proud, super stoked of how I handled the moment. I was very calm, even though I threw in a couple of doubles there," de Minaur told reporters after the match, according to ABC News. "I played on my terms. I was going to go out swinging and playing the right type of tennis. That is what made the difference today."
The victory moves de Minaur back into the top eight of the live Race to Turin with only the Paris Masters remaining as a qualifying event for the season-ending ATP Finals. He leapfrogged Spain's Rafael Jodar in the standings, BBC Sport noted.
Zverev grew frustrated in the decider, receiving a time violation from umpire Arnaud Gabas for excessive ball-bouncing before serving at 5-6 down. The German argued the call and the umpire rescinded the penalty, but de Minaur held serve to force the tiebreak.
De Minaur will face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's final after the Spaniard beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the earlier semi-final. Alcaraz has won 25 consecutive matches at ATP 500 level, last losing at that tier to Holger Rune in Barcelona in April 2025. De Minaur has lost all six previous meetings with Alcaraz, including at this year's Australian Open. His only title this season came at the Rotterdam Open in February.