No. 1 Sinner reaches 1st grass-court final, to face Hurkacz in Halle

HALLE, Germany (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner reached his first grass-court final by beating Zhang Zhizhen 6-4, 7-6 (3) at the Halle Open on Saturday to set up a title match against Hubert Hurkacz.

Sinner saved a set point in the second set before jumping out to a quick lead in the tiebreaker. The Australian Open champion improved his record to 37-3 this year.

The Italian reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year, losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic.

Hurkacz fired 17 aces in his 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over second-seeded Alexander Zverev. The fifth-seeded Polish player saved all four break points he faced. It was his first victory over Zverev, ranked No. 4, in four tries.

Hurkacz, ranked No. 9, won Halle in 2022. That was his only other final on grass.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis