The decisive set had everything. Serving at 5-6, 40-40, Zverev was two points from defeat when he lost his temper with the chair umpire over a time violation. He answered with a service winner, held for 6-6 and forced a tiebreak.
There, Zverev lost the match tactically. At 2-4, he tried a strange serve and volley that ended with the ball out. At 2-5, he attacked again and missed a backhand volley, handing de Minaur four match points at 6-2. The Australian double-faulted on the first, and Zverev saved the second with a 222 km/h serve. On the third, a Zverev forehand went out.
The German had dominated the second set 6-1 after de Minaur took the opener 6-4. In the end, the steadier player won.
De Minaur vs Zverev in Vienna: the records behind the win
De Minaur now trails Zverev 9-5 in their head-to-head, his first win over him outside the ATP Cup, the United Cup and the Laver Cup. It is also only his fourth win in 20 matches against Top 2 opponents.
The 27-year-old, ranked No. 10, extends his unbeaten indoor record this season to 10-0, a run that includes the Rotterdam title in February. He now has 21 wins at ATP 500 level this season, the most on tour. He is just the fourth man to reach that mark in a season since the series began in 2009.
He reaches his 23rd ATP Tour final, his fourth of 2026 after Rotterdam, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Beijing, in his third consecutive Vienna semifinal. No Australian had ever reached the final in Vienna.
For Zverev, the defeat takes nothing away from Monday, when he becomes the 30th world No. 1 in ATP history, the second-oldest to reach the top spot for the first time. But it denies Vienna the final many expected: a second Alcaraz vs Zverev meeting this season, after one played while the Spaniard was world No. 1. Zverev had saved four match points against Martin Landaluce in the first round, beaten Tallon Griekspoor to secure the No. 1 ranking and then reached the last four.