Halle (Germany), June 22 (IANS): Former champion Hubert Hurkacz moved to within one win of clinching his second title when he overcame World No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Terra Wortmann Open here on Saturday. The fifth-seeded Pole produced an impressive serving display in his semifinal clash against Zverev, firing 17 aces and saving all four breakpoints he faced to earn his fifth Top 10 grass-court win.

"It needed to be really good," Hurkacz was quoted as saying by ATP Tour in a report on their website. "He is such a good competitor and is playing good tennis, reaching the final at the French [Roland Garros] and playing at a really high level.

"I am really confident on my serve. I am serving really good. There were some moments, but I managed to believe in my game and hit some good serves and good shots, so I stayed pretty calm," he said.

With his one-hour, 33-minute triumph in Halle, Hurkacz improved to 1-3 in his ATP head-to-head series with Zverev. Into his 11th tour-level final, the 27-year-old will aim to clinch his ninth ATP Tour title when he faces top seed Jannik Sinner or China’s Zhang Zhizhen on Sunday.

Hurkacz has often produced his best level on grass, winning the title at the ATP 500 event in 2022. The 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist is up two spots to No. 7 in the ATP Live Rankings and will move to a career-high on Monday.

Germany’s Zverev advanced to the title match on home soil in Halle in 2016 and 2017 but was unable to find a way past Hurkacz, who won 81 percent (43/56) of his first-serve points according to ATP Infosys Stats. The two-time ATP Finals champion leaves the event holding a 37-11 record for the season.