Alex De Minaur stunned the soon-to-be world number one, Alexander Zverev, to set up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz in the Vienna Open final on Sunday.

After going behind, Zverev fought back with a dominant second-set showing, but De Minaur regained his groove to prevail 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) in two and a half hours.

De Minaur failed to convert his first three break points in the third game but got the vital advantage in the fifth.

Though the Australian missed another three break points, he saw out the first set before Zverev roared back into the tie.

He won the first five games of the second, and though De Minaur got on the board to avoid a bagel, Zverev then held off two more break points to force a decider.

The pair were evenly matched in the third set, with neither giving up a single opening when on serve, taking the match to a breaker.

De Minaur won the first three points, and though he failed to convert his first two match points, his earlier advantage meant he was able to see out the victory on the next one.

He will face Carlos Alcaraz for the title, as the Spaniard continued his fine start to the European indoor hard-court swing with a straight-sets win over Daniil Medvedev.

The former world number one clinched a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) victory to reach his fifth final of the season.

After a fairly comfortable first set, Alcaraz was taken to a tie-break in the second, though he reeled off the final five points to book his place in the showpiece.

Carlitos Demon One last Vienna blockbuster @ErsteBankOpen | #ErsteBankOpen https://t.co/HXYTEph2Pn

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2026

De Minaur hits form at the right time, but faces tough Alcaraz test next

With a place in the ATP Finals on the line as we hit crunch time in the season, De Minaur is hitting his stride at just the right time.

His win over Zverev means he has now moved up to ninth in the Race to Turin, putting him in a prime position to snatch the final spot as he closes in on Frances Tiafoe.

De Minaur is just the fourth player to record at least 21 wins at ATP-500 level in a single season since the series began in 2009, joining Juan Martin del Potro, Alcaraz and David Ferrer.

The 27-year-old is into his fourth final of 2026, but he has never before beaten Alcaraz, losing each of the previous six meetings.

It does not help that the Spaniard is 25-0 at ATP-500 level since his defeat in the 2025 Barcelona final, and he will be determined to ensure that streak goes on.

Elsewhere, Taylor Fritz was beaten in the Basel Open semi-final 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 by Valentin Vacherot, who will face Jiri Lehecka, who came from behind to overcome Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6 7-5 6-4.