US tennis players have not had much success at the ATP tennis tournament in Halle/Westphalia to date. That is set to change on Sunday: the final of the 33rd TERRA WORTMANN OPEN will see two professionals from the USA go head-to-head, meaning that, for the first time in the tournament’s history, the winner will come from the United States of America.
Taylor Fritz (ATP 9) defeated the physically struggling Alexander Zverev (ATP 3) 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 in the semi-final. His opponent is Frances Tiafoe (ATP 26) – who beat Germany’s Daniel Altmaier (ATP 81) 6–1, 6–3.
On Sunday (from 3.30 pm), the heristo-arena will host the final, with €483,145 in prize money for the winner and €259,940 for the runner-up.
Semi-final I: Taylor Fritz (ATP 9) – Alexander Zverev (ATP 3) 6–7, 6–4, 7–5
A semi-final match of extremes: sweltering heat in the heristo-arena, two players who had pushed themselves to their physical limits, and who looked forward to every break with an ice pack on their necks. In the end, 28-year-old Taylor Fritz had the most stamina left and defeated the French Open champion 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 after almost three hours.
Alexander Zverev has thus narrowly missed out on his third final in Halle. In 2016, he suffered a surprise defeat to his compatriot Florian Mayer; in 2017, he lost surprisingly heavily to Roger Federer. The Hamburg native, who had to accept defeat once again after ten consecutive victories (the French Open and Halle), has so far won an ATP tournament on every surface; only a triumph on grass remains elusive.
Taylor Fritz is thus back in a grass-court final just one week after Stuttgart. Seven days ago, he lost to his compatriot Ben Shelton; on Sunday, he’s hoping to do better. If you look solely at match wins, Fritz is the most successful grass-court player of this decade, with 43 victories to his name. He won in Stuttgart in 2025, and in Eastbourne he has even won four times (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025).
Alexander Zverev subsequently spoke to journalists:
On his physical problems: My back seized up, but that wasn’t the reason. I had extreme problems with my blood sugar. Unfortunately, the monitor showed a high blood sugar reading shortly before the match, even though I felt as though my blood sugar was extremely low. I injected far too much insulin and then, during the match, consumed just under 350 grams of sugar in the first few minutes. I simply felt awful. Unfortunately, that was the reason why I wasn’t physically present in the second set. In the third set, too, it was difficult for me to be physically present at all.
On the defeat against Taylor Fritz: The last few times I’ve played against Taylor, he’s been the better tennis player. Today my tennis was there, but I simply wasn’t physically able to show it. But it also gives me some positive signs for Wimbledon, because I’ve settled in quite well on grass and hopefully I’ll be able to show that at Wimbledon too.
On the faulty sensor: I’ve had the sensor for nine years. It was the first time the reading had been so drastically wrong. Just before the match, the device showed an extremely high blood sugar level. And then I realised my blood sugar was low. I checked it and my blood sugar was indeed already low. Then I thought: this is going to be a difficult day.
On Jannik Sinner’s return to Wimbledon: I always need a warm-up tournament, but Jannik is different in that respect. There are players like that. I’m someone who needs a bit of match rhythm.
On returning to Halle in September for the Davis Cup: I hope so. Let’s see if I’m selected.
His thoughts on the tournament: It was a wonderful week for me, even if it’s ended on a slightly disappointing note. I really enjoyed being here and playing here. In my opinion, the crowd this week was the best I’ve ever had in Halle, and I absolutely loved being out on court.
Taylor Fritz in the mixed zone after his semi-final victory
On his victory over Zverev: It was a really nerve-wracking match. It’s never easy to play when you get the feeling your opponent is struggling with something. It makes you really tense. It’s hard to find a rhythm because he plays very aggressively – obviously because he’s injured. It was an uncomfortable match for me. I’m glad I got through it.
On the role of fitness in the final: That depends on the heat. I’m coming back from a knee injury and I’m really putting a lot of kilometres on that knee. But I love being out there and fighting. We’ll see what the weather’s like tomorrow, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got.
Semi-final II: Frances Tiafoe (ATP 26) – Daniel Altmaier (ATP 81) 6–1, 6–3
Altmaier, who was playing in the first 500-level semi-final of his career, was unable to build on his outstanding performances of the previous days. As recently as Friday evening, he had produced his best tennis in a sensational victory over Daniil Medvedev. A day later, however, things went far less smoothly against Tiafoe.
The US star, who had already knocked two top-ten players out of the tournament – Flavio Cobolli and Felix Auger-Aliassime – lived up to his role as favourite right from the start. On his own serve, he didn’t concede a single break point in the first set, whilst breaking Altmaier’s serve twice himself. After just 25 minutes, he had already converted his first set point to take the set 6–1.
Altmaier, however, was not about to give up without a fight. Right from the first game of the second set, he shone with several spectacular points and pumped his fist towards his box. Shortly afterwards, Tiafoe secured his next break following a volley error by Altmaier, taking the score to 4–2. The DTB star, who will return to the world’s top 60 after the tournament, was unable to create any further break points thereafter. After 1 hour and 13 minutes, Tiafoe converted his first match point.
Frances Tiafoe has a 1–7 head-to-head record against Taylor Fritz; Tiafoe won only their first meeting in 2016. The two have not yet played each other on grass.
Daniel Altmaier: “Tiafoe did his job very well. He played very aggressively from start to finish. My first-serve percentage wasn’t the best, which is why he was able to get into his rhythm more easily. If there’s one thing I can point to on my part, it’s definitely my first-serve percentage in the first set. It’s hard to play catch-up from there. Nevertheless, the week in Halle has been very positive. They were very intense matches.”
Frances Tiafoe: “I served really well today, got into the rallies well and played very confidently overall. It’s an honour to be in the final here. A place in the final on a Sunday is never a given. After yesterday’s long match, I’m glad it was a one-sided affair and I didn’t have to play another long match.”
