Zverev routs Fery 6-0 6-2 to reach Vienna semi-finals days before becoming world number one

Alexander Zverev took less than an hour to dismiss Britain’s Arthur Fery 6-0 6-2 and book a place in the Vienna semi-finals, just days before he is due to replace Jannik Sinner as world number one. The German top seed has been in commanding form in the Austrian capital, and Friday’s quarter-final offered little resistance.

A repeat of Wimbledon, with the same result

The match was a rematch of this summer’s Wimbledon semi-final, which Zverev also won in straight sets to end Fery’s surprise run at the All England Club. Reports differ slightly on the exact length of Friday’s match, putting it at 58 or 59 minutes, but not on how one-sided it was. Zverev dropped only six points on his own serve, created nine break points and converted five. Sky Sports counted 19 winners from the German.

Fery arrived in Vienna in good spirits after beating former world number five Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16. He needed treatment on his leg near the end of that match, though, and he never looked at his best against Zverev. Both outlets noted that he struggled to make an impact.

Zverev’s praise for Fery

Zverev was generous in victory. He described Fery as a different kind of opponent from the one he faced the previous day, saying the Briton lacks big firepower but “plays tactically extremely well” and is “extremely fast”. He urged Fery not to be too hard on himself. “It is his first year on the Tour and he is doing amazing things,” Zverev said, adding that he hoped Fery would keep his head up. Sky Sports reported that Fery is ranked 35th in the world.

Zverev also said he had struggled to sleep on Thursday night. He had just beaten Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16, a result that lifted him above Sinner in the standings.

A rise built on a big year

When the rankings update on Monday, the 29-year-old will become the second German man to reach the top spot, after Boris Becker in 1991. The French Open and US Open champion has taken advantage of injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner this year to overtake both. He is now chasing a third title of the season, and the Vienna semi-finals will be his 12th last-four appearance of 2026, according to Sky Sports.

His opponent will be either Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur or Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

The other half of the draw

The other Vienna semi-finals pairing is a heavyweight one. Second seed Alcaraz, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, beat American Tommy Paul 6-4 7-6 (7-2) and will face third seed Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev beat France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-3, and the win secured him a place at the season-ending ATP Finals for the seventh time.

The 30-year-old Russian missed last year’s finale after qualifying every year from 2019 to 2024. He has had a resurgent season, with four titles and more than 50 wins for the first time since 2023. He joins Zverev, Alcaraz and Ben Shelton in the eight-man field. Sinner has also qualified but will not play because of injury, leaving four places still to be filled.

Elsewhere, in Tokyo, women’s world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew from her Pan Pacific Open quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez with a neck injury. She had secured the year-end number one ranking only a day earlier. Fernandez advanced by walkover and will face Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova in the semi-finals.

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File photo: Alexander Zverev (30004409818).jpg by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.