Arthur Fils came through a decisive tie-break to beat home favourite Alexander Zverev in the Hamburg Open final, securing his second ATP-level title.

The 20-year-old triumphed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) in a three-and-a-half-hour marathon, saving a remarkable 21 of 22 break points, including five in the final set, to follow up his 2023 triumph in Lyon.

Fils raced into a 3-0 lead in the opener before having to fend off four break points in the fifth game as he took the lead, but defending champion Zverev roared back in the second set.

Zverev got the breakthrough six games into a back-and-forth second as the big-serving German forced a decider.

Having saved break points at 4-4 and 5-5 in the third, Fils came on strong in the tie-break, recording the biggest win of his career and his fourth versus a top-10 opponent.

Data Debrief: Fils' rise continues as Zverev falls short

Fils is just the second player aged under 21 to triumph at the Hamburg Open, after Roger Federer in 2002 and Lorenzo Musetti in 2022. 

Zverev, meanwhile, missed the chance to become the fifth man to defend the Hamburg title in the Open Era, after Eddie Dibbs (1973-74), Andre Medvedev (1994-95), Federer (2004-05) and Nikoloz Basilashvili (2018-19).

Alexander Zverev will have a chance to defend his Hamburg Open title against Arthur Fils after overcoming Pedro Martinez in the last four on Saturday.

Zverev needed one hour and 25 minutes on court to beat Martinez 6-2 6-4, ending a run that saw the Spaniard eliminate seeds Matteo Arnaldi and Francisco Cerundolo.

The home favourite earned his first break in the third service game and followed up with another in the seventh, also winning 92% of his first-serve points in the opener as Martinez failed to apply any sustained pressure.  

Zverev broke again at the start of the second set before producing crucial holds in the second and seventh games, reaching his third straight clay-court final after also going all the way at the Masters 1000 in Rome and the French Open.

He will face Fils in the showpiece match after the Frenchman overcame Sebastian Baez by a 6-2 6-2 scoreline in just 67 minutes, reaching his first ATP 500 final.

Data Debrief: Zverev eyes Hamburg history

Zverev became just the second German to win the Hamburg title last year after Michael Stich in 1993, and he could now become the first to defend the trophy with Stich falling to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 1994 semi-finals.

Taylor Fritz fought from behind to win a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time.

Fritz, who previously made the last eight in 2022, was on the brink of defeat as a typical big-serving display from Zverev saw him take the first two sets.  

However, the match turned on a fourth-set tie-break dominated by the American, Zverev losing his way as he missed out on a first quarter-final appearance at SW19, losing 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

The Centre Court crowd had to remain patient for a break in the opening set with both players excellent with ball in hand, Zverev winning 83% of his first-serve points to Fritz's 81%. A powerful backhand ensured it was Zverev who got the breakthrough nine games in.

Neither player could force a break point in a slog of a second set, which Zverev took in a tie-break, roaring to the crowd as Fritz sliced a backhand wide on set point. 

But Fritz refused to go away, drawing Zverev to the net far more regularly and finally breaking the German's serve at the 15th attempt. 

It was a similar story in the fourth as both players served well, but Fritz stepped up in the tie-break, Zverev looking dejected as he fell 6-1 down before slicing a backhand long on set point.  

The momentum was with Fritz from there as he secured a huge break four games into the decider, holding his nerve from there to tee up a meeting with first-time grand slam quarter-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

Earlier on Monday, Alex de Minaur sealed his place in the last eight – where he will face Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic – with a 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils.

Ninth seed De Minaur squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set but recovered to take the match in four, his flat groundstrokes proving too much for spirited 20-year-old Fils.

The Australian suffered a scare as he appeared to hurt his ankle on match point, but he played down fears over his condition after the match. 

"I will be alright, I will find a way," he said. "I made it a lot harder than I should have but I'm happy to get through."

Data Debrief: Rare upset for Fritz 

Fritz showed great character to hold firm in the face of Zverev's big-serving display before launching a rousing comeback in front of a delighted Centre Court crowd.

He previously held a 1-13 record against top-10 opponents at grand slams, but he has now become the first American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in a single year since Andy Roddick in 2009.

Alexander Zverev battled past Arthur Fils despite losing the first set to book a place in the Halle Open semi-finals.

The German, chasing his first-ever grass-court title, needed two and a half hours to get his 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 victory.

Neither player managed a break in the opening set, matching each other evenly before Fils finally got the edge in the tie-break to take the lead.

Zverev soon raised his level though, and during a run of eight consecutive points, broke the Frenchman to love at 3-2 on his way to forcing a decider.

Despite another bright start to the set by Fils, he failed to get a single break, with Zverev rallying to set up a meeting with Hubert Hurkacz in the next round.

Data Debrief: Zverev edges ever-closer to grass title

Zverev is 37-10 for the season, and is the first person since Roger Federer (2012-19) to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the Halle Open.

A two-time finalist at the tournament, the German is hoping to add two more wins to his 18-7 record in Germany to finally get his hands on the trophy.

Dan Evans fought back from a set and a break down to defeat teenage debutant Arthur Fils and give Great Britain a 1-0 lead in their crucial Davis Cup clash with France in Manchester.

Although Leon Smith’s side were unbeaten after victories over Australia and Switzerland, other results meant only a win in the three-match tie would be enough to finish in the top two in the group and send them through to the final-eight event in Malaga in November.

Nineteen-year-old Fils showed his huge potential to put himself in a winning position and quieten the 13,000-strong sell-out crowd at the AO Arena – the biggest single-day attendance for a Davis Cup match in Britain.

But a combination of a drop-off from the Frenchman and a strong fightback from 33-year-old Evans carried him to a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory, putting Britain in the box seat.

“There’s something about Davis Cup, it’s never, ever simple,” said Evans. “It’s an amazing crowd today.

“You really helped me get through when I was a set and a break down and not feeling exactly how I wanted to be playing. To be playing in front of such a big crowd for the country again, it’s everything to me.”

Team selection has been one of the most intriguing aspects of this week and here it was France springing a surprise by turning to Fils ahead of the experienced Adrian Mannarino, against whom Evans has a great record.

Smith opted for his two highest-ranked singles players, overlooking Jack Draper, who made his own impressive debut in beating Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, and Andy Murray.

Fils is the highest-ranked teenager in the world at 44 and the most exciting of a crop of young French players.

It was immediately clear this was not a comfortable match-up for the 5ft 9in Evans, who struggles to impose his finesse-based game against power hitters.

He was not helped by a poor first-serve percentage in the opening set and a forehand winner drilled down the line earned Fils the break for 5-3.

Evans was in deep trouble when he was broken again to start the second set and he slammed his racket down in frustration at his inability to make life uncomfortable for his young opponent.

But the teenager’s assurance deserted him in the sixth game when he missed a succession of first serves and then a backhand to give Evans the break back.

Suddenly the spring was in the British number two’s step and, with the crowd right behind him, he kept the pressure firmly on Fils, breaking again to lead 5-3 and then again to start the deciding set.

The teenager stayed in contention by saving break points in his next two service games and the arena was racked with tension as Evans served for the match, leaping with delight when a final shot from Fils landed in the net.