Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz cruised into his fifth consecutive final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the semifinals of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London on Saturday.
The win was Alcaraz’s 250th tour-level win and extended his winning streak to 17 matches. The 37-year-old Bautista Agut could not muster quite the effort that made him an upset winner Friday over No. 4 Holger Rune of Denmark, with Alcaraz in full control of the second set, in which he saved the only break point he faced.
Alcaraz will face the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, who downed No. 2 Jack Draper of Great Britain 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. The hometown favorite Draper, who’s been suffering from tonsillitis, battled back from a first-set loss to take the second set but Lehecka got a crucial break at 5-5 in the third that sent Draper smashing his racquet in frustration before ultimately losing the set 7-5. Lehecka has dropped serve on just one occasion in this year’s tournament.
Terra Wortmann Open
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev outlasted second-seeded Alexander Zverev in a nearly three-hour long match to reach the finals at Halle, Germany.
In a remarkably even matchup, Medvedev’s 17 aces stood out compared to seven for Zverev, who fought valiantly before ultimately falling 7-6 (3), 6-7 (1), 6-4 to the Russian, the German’s 12th loss out of 14 opportunities between the two.
Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan continued his hot streak by pulling off a comeback against No. 8 Russian Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Bublik, who won this tournament in 2023 and is still riding high since beating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner earlier in the tournament, is looking for his first title since Montpellier in 2024.
–Field Level Media
