HALLE, WESTPHALIA/STARNBERG, June 20, 2025
Alexander Zverev celebrated a 6-4, 7-6 victory after one hour and 43 minutes of intense play over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli to reach the semi-finals of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN. But Friday’s match wasn’t without drama.
Early on, Zverev experienced a brief but concerning health scare. Leading 1–0 and at deuce, the German suddenly rushed off the Centre Court and didn’t return for nearly five minutes.
Semi-final bound
It’s a fifth Halle semi-final for @AlexZverev as he takes out Cobolli 6-4 7-6#TWO25 pic.twitter.com/Om6nwllk7Y
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 20, 2025
“I suddenly felt unwell and had really severe stomach issues,” Zverev explained after the match. “I had to throw up briefly, but about 15 minutes later, I felt okay again,” said the 28-year-old. “We’ll see how I feel once the adrenaline wears off. The next few hours will be important.”
Despite the incident, there were no visible signs of discomfort once Zverev returned to court. In the first set, he fended off all six break points he faced and capitalized on his only opportunity to break, taking an early 1–0 lead and holding on to close out the set 6–4. The second set was equally tight, with both players holding firm until the tiebreak, where Zverev sealed the win on his second match point with trademark composure.
Medvedev beats Michelsen
Zverev will now face Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the semifinals. The former World No. 1 booked his place in the final four earlier in the day with a 6-4, 6-3 win over US-American Alex Michelsen. Medvedev started off cautiously but raised his level at key moments to pull away. “The shadows on court made conditions quite tricky at the start,” Medvedev noted. “It took some time to adjust, but it got better in the second set.”
Despite needing seven match points to close it out, Medvedev didn’t face a single break point during the 86-minute match and remains undefeated in sets throughout the tournament. Still, he was quick to downplay the achievement when congratulated by stadium announcer Björn Sassenroth. “What I’d really like,” Medvedev said on court, “is the tournament title.” It’s a realistic goal: he already proved his grass-court potential by winning the Mallorca Championships in 2021. At the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN in Halle, he came close in 2022, finishing runner-up.
Zverev and Medvedev have met 19 times on tour, but never before on grass. Medvedev holds the upper hand with 12 wins, including 11 of their last 13 meetings. However, Zverev has enjoyed the stronger 2024 season so far, racking up 35 wins (with 12 losses), compared to Medvedev’s 22 wins and 12 losses.
In other action, Alexander Bublik edged past Tomas Machac from the Czech Republic. The World No. 45 from Kazakhstan fired 19 aces and won 78 per cent of his first-service points to advance in one hour and 22 minutes.
Bublik will oppose eighth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, who was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. The encounter lasted one hour and 12 minutes.
