With the help of some unorthodox on-court tactics, Hubert Hurkacz’s run continued Friday at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

The fifth seed Hurkacz found something extra in both tie-breaks as he edged Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(2, 7-6(4) to reach his third semi-final of the season at the ATP 500 event.

A match featuring no breaks of serve and just one break point went the way of the Pole after an absorbing one hour, 47 minutes, but Hurkacz later admitted that his inability to make a dent in the Canadian’s serve had led to him trying something different in return games on OWL Arena.

“Grass is a tricky service,” said Hurkacz after the match. “I had absolutely no chance on the return. In the middle of the second set, I was guessing wrong all the time. I had another idea. I was looking at the shot clock, and if the number was even, I was going left and if the number was odd, I was going right. So that was my tactic for the return.”

Hurkacz reeled off six points in a row from 1/2 in the first-set tie-break to move ahead and held his nerve in a similar fashion in the second set to secure his first win against Auger-Aliassime in three attempts.

Hurkacz was relieved to prevail in a tight encounter. The 2021 semi-finalist Auger-Aliassime fired 38 winners to Hurkacz’s 23 and won 89 per cent (41/46) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Yet the Pole held firm to fend off break point and hold for 4-3 in the opening set and found his sharpest tennis in both tie-breaks to triumph.

“Probably nothing,” said the Pole when asked what he had done better than his opponent on the day. “Felix was playing really good, he had more chances during the first set. I was feeling confident on my serve. Maybe I wasn’t serving my best, but I was holding and obviously with his powerful serve I had no chance on the return. I was just trying to get to the tie-break.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

The fifth seed next takes on wild card Nick Kyrgios in a blockbuster semi-final at the ATP 500 event. Both Hurkacz and Kyrgios are chasing their maiden title of 2022 and their first career title on grass in north-west Germany. Hurkacz is expecting another challenging day on return against the big-serving Australian.

“Obviously he’s such a great player,” said Hurkacz when asked about his next opponent. “He has amazing hands and a great serve so it’s going to be super tough. I just need to keep holding my serve hopefully and try to maybe get a chance or two.”

Daniil Medvedev appears to be unbreakable this week at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

The World No. 1 was frequently pressured by Roberto Bautista Agut in the pair’s quarter-final clash on Thursday, but Medvedev was clinical in taking his chances on his way to a 6-2, 6-4 victory at the ATP 500 event.

The Medvedev serve once again proved a crucial weapon at key moments in the one-hour, 27-minute encounter on OWL Arena. A combination of power and accuracy with his delivery helped the top seed save nine from nine break points against the Spaniard, bringing his tournament total to 17 out of 17 break points saved across three matches.

The win was Medvedev’s first against the Spaniard in four attempts. Bautista Agut was making his fourth quarter-final appearance in Halle and produced some high-class tennis as he bid to match his semi-final run from 2018, yet he was unable to convert his break point chances as Medvedev sent down a barrage of big serves to frequently dig himself out of trouble.

“Well first of all, he’s a great player!” said Medvedev when asked about his past struggles against Bautista Agut. “I remember all the matches we had… He was playing some [great] tennis and it was tough for me to win. Today I had my plan, managed to keep it going. Definitely got more edge on the most important points, because he had more break points than me. It was not easy, and I’m happy to win.”

A high-quality start saw both players fend off a break point to hold in the early stages, but from 2-2 it was Medvedev who stepped up to take command. The World No. 1 reeled off four consecutive game to take the first set, striking the ball effectively off both wings to accumulate 14 winners to Bautista Agut’s 4.

Despite the disappointment of falling behind, the Spaniard appeared rejuvenated in the second set. He surged to 15/40 on the Medvedev serve in the second game with some top-quality all-court play, but could not find the finishing touch. He also missed out after leading 0/40 in the eighth game and was paid to pay by the World No. 1, who converted his sole break point of the set at 3-3 to claim a decisive break.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Medvedev will now chase a 25th tour-level championship match appearance in a semi-final clash against Oscar Otte, after the home favourite earlier defeated eighth seed Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Otte is making his tournament debut in Halle, and the 28-year-old is currently projected to rise to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings thanks to his run to the final four. Victory in Saturday’s semi-final will push him even higher to No. 31, and Medvedev is expecting a tough test from the German.

“I know that he’s a great player, especially on grass and he plays very good on clay also,” said Medvedev. “He made the semis [in Stuttgart] last week, losing to Matteo [Berrettini] in two tie-breakers. So he’s a great player, great serve, great volleyer- So it’s not going to be easy. I need to prepare well, show my best tennis and try to win.

“We’ve warmed up twice [together] and practised once [this week], even playing a set which ended in a tie-break. So we’ve started to know each other better and better, so it’s actually fun that we are playing each other tomorrow, because when you practise with one player a lot, it’s fun to see him in the tournament later in the week. But tomorrow we are definitely not going to be friends!”

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ hunt for a maiden grass-court title will next take him to the Mallorca Championships, after the tournament announced Thursday that the World No. 6 had received a wild card for the ATP 250 event.

Tsitsipas will make his debut at the Mallorca tournament, to be held from June 19-25, in a field that also includes World No. 1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev. Tsitsipas played just one match on grass in 2021, at Wimbledon, but has already played four matches on the surface this year across the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart and the ATP 500 in Halle.

Tsitsipas is ✔️

🇬🇷 @steftsitsipas receives a wildcard and he will play in Mallorca.@atptour | @ATPTour_ES | #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/iHwOKh3Nz2

— Mallorca Championships (@MallorcaChamps) June 16, 2022

Tsitsipas’ entry into the Mallorca draw also raises the possibility of a rematch with Nick Kyrgios. The pair played out a thrilling second-round encounter in Halle on Wednesday, with the Australian prevailing in three sets. Kyrgios, who is set to face Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals in Germany on Friday, will also compete in Mallorca and will be making his tournament debut.

The 26-year-old has also signalled his intention to play doubles in Spain, posting “Anyone for dubs in Mallorca?” on his Twitter feed on Wednesday.

Anyone for dubs in Mallorca?

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 15, 2022

Kyrgios has enjoyed success on the doubles court in 2022, winning a maiden Grand Slam title at January’s Australian Open with Thanasi Kokkinakis.