Daniel Altmaier has sensationally reached the semi-finals of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN in Halle. With a highly focused and varied style of play from start to finish, he earned a 6-4, 6-7(8), 6–4 victory over the fourth seed, Daniil Medvedev.
What Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Raphael Collignon tried in vain in the first two quarter-final matches, Daniel Altmaier achieved right from the very first game: a break. The German played boldly from the outset and stuck to his game plan. Although he had to fend off two break points as the set progressed, what mattered was that he held his serve and went on to win the set 6–4.
Daniil Medvedev began to play more aggressively. The German, however, held his ground, fighting his way out of tricky situations. Daniel Altmaier saved three break points in his first two service games of the second set. Although he did not create a single break point opportunity throughout the set, he held his serve with confidence. With his varied play, he repeatedly threw last year’s finalist off his game. The set went to a tie-break. There, Daniel Altmaier played too passively, mixing in plenty of slice shots. Daniil Medvedev was unable to capitalise on this, however. Nevertheless, he deservedly levelled the match by winning the tie-break 8–6.
The match thus went into a decisive third set. Break points remained few and far between in this set too. There were none until the score stood at 4–3 in favour of the German. Then Daniel Altmaier got his chance. And he took it. Perhaps it was the fear of his own courage that got the better of the 27-year-old as he served for the match. He lost his service game to love, and Daniil Medvedev was back in the game. But Daniel Altmaier then plucked up his courage, quickly taking a 40–0 lead on the favourite’s serve. The crowd went absolutely wild when the German finally converted his third match point after two hours and 45 minutes.
“It’s just incredible. My parents and my sister are here, and I’ve managed to win such a big match here,” said the winner, who was absolutely over the moon.
