World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz extended his unbeaten streak at the ATP 500 level by outlasting third seed Daniil Medvedev to reach his maiden title match at the Erste Bank Open on Saturday.
Saturday's opening semifinal featured a showpiece between second seed Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev.
Contesting his fourth tournament since returning from a wrist injury, the Spaniard pulled off a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over the former Vienna champion to reach a maiden Erste Bank Open final on Saturday.
In his on-court interview, the Spanish player said: "It’s a great feeling, beating someone like Daniil on an indoor court, after the [run] he was having.
"A lot of wins in a row, a lot of confidence, and I was able to beat him, so it is special," he added.
Discussing his fitness, he outlined: "I’ve been working really hard in every aspect of my game to try and be in good shape for this tournament and to try to give myself another chance to go far in a tournament.
“I’m really happy to have the chance to play another final, and my first one here in Vienna."
The 23-year-old came out firing, dictating the rhythm on the forehand side from the get-go.
Ultimately, his efforts paid off, earning the break in the fourth game of the first set to take the early lead.
After breaking straight back, Medvedev held his ground to tie the scoreline 3-3.
However, the Murica native controlled the extended baseline rallies, and mixed his serve placement with precision.
Under pressure on his second serve, the Almaty Open champion double-faulted in a critical 10th game, allowing his opponent to break twice and close out the opener 6-4 in 35 minutes.
The second set went with serves until the Moscow native hit a volley that found the net, conceding the sixth game.
Playing with aggression, Medvedev dug deep to steal a 32-shot rally before breaking straight back, recovering lost ground and drawing level 4-4 at a crucial moment.
From there, the seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 went toe-to-toe in the lead-up to a second-set tiebreak, which Samuel Lopez pupil sealed 7-6(2), firing an ace in the process.
Overall, Alcaraz built a solid performance over the 30-year-old, who secured his spot in the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals on Friday.
With the one-hour, 36-minute triumph, the 27-time ATP titlist advanced to his fifth final of the season without losing a set.
He fired 28 winners against 26 unforced errors, converted three of four break points and won 78 percent of points behind his first serve.
En route to the championship match, he powered past tough rivals like Tommy Paul, Karen Khachanov, and resurgent Nikoloz Basilashvili.
On Sunday, he will face either upcoming world No. 1 Alexander Zverev or fifth seed Alex de Minaur.