Halys reaches the Kitzbühel final and faces defending champion Bublik

Hanfmann, by contrast, missed out on another run to the final in the Gamsstadt. The player from Karlsruhe had reached the final in Kitzbühel in 2020 and made the semifinals in 2022 and 2024. This time he went down in 1 hour and 39 minutes, 4:6, 6:7 (2:7), and failed to win a set in the penultimate round.

Hanfmann misses another Kitzbühel final

In the second set Hanfmann had already trailed 2:5 but fought his way back and saved several match points before Halys closed it out in the tiebreak. The match offered the roughly 5,000 spectators at the Kitzbühel tennis venue high-quality rallies and showed why both players are regarded as clay-court specialists.

Awaiting Halys in Saturday's final is Kazakhstan's defending champion Alexander Bublik, who also prevailed in straight sets on Friday in his semifinal, 6:3, 6:4 over Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry. The 29-year-old Kazakh allowed Etcheverry, who had beaten Austria's Jurij Rodionov in the round of 16, only a single break point and won with ease.

Defending champion Bublik cruises through the semifinal

Bublik won the clay-court tournament, which carries prize money of 612,620 euros, last year against France's Arthur Cazaux and goes into the final as the overwhelming favorite. The aggressive server from Almaty is known for his spectacular shot-making and has already won over the Kitzbühel fans.

As the men's singles approach their climax, the doubles competition is also set for its semifinals. Austria's Lucas Miedler, who lifted the trophy in the Gamsstadt in 2021 and 2023 with Alexander Erler, is now playing with his new partner, Australia's Marc Polmans. Miedler recently triumphed with the Australian in Gstaad.

Miedler and Polmans into the doubles final

The duo fought back on Friday to defeat the Indian-Swedish pairing of Sriram Balaji and Andre Göransson 6:4, 6:7 (7:4), 10:7 and also booked their place in the final. That means Kitzbühel will have Austrian involvement on finals day in both singles and doubles.

The organizers in the Gamsstadt are expecting a sold-out Center Court on Saturday. With midsummer temperatures and brilliant sunshine all around the Tyrolean Alps, the tournament has offered ideal outdoor conditions this week for top-class clay-court tennis.

As early as the first round the tournament caused a stir when several seeded players surprisingly exited early. The draw meant that neither Halys nor Hanfmann advanced to the semifinals as seeds, which makes the final a genuinely surprise pairing.

Bublik, on the other hand, demonstrated his class and his experience on clay. With his varied game and powerful serve he put Etcheverry under pressure from the outset. The Argentine rarely found an answer to the Kazakh's unpredictable shot-making and had to surrender after 1 hour and 22 minutes.

What is at stake on Saturday

The winner of the semifinal between Halys and Bublik will not only take home the title and roughly 100,000 euros in prize money on Saturday, but will also collect valuable world ranking points. A win for Halys could see him leap back into the top 70, while Bublik would consolidate his position in the top 20.

Friday evening's semifinal matches were broadcast live by Servus TV and played in front of a vibrant crowd. The atmosphere at the venue was described by the organizers as exuberant and peaceful, sustained by large numbers of tennis fans from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Tradition and atmosphere in Kitzbühel

Tennis in Kitzbühel has a long tradition. The tournament is one of the oldest clay-court events in Europe and has seen numerous top players in its history. The Centre Court at the foot of the Hahnenkamm is considered one of the most beautiful settings in the tennis world and seats around 5,000 spectators.

With the final on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., the tournament reaches its sporting climax. The trophy ceremony will follow, traditionally honoring both the winner and the losing finalist. The local population and the tourism industry in Kitzbühel benefit year after year from the international media interest.

It is already clear that the 78th edition of the Kitzbühel clay-court tournament will go down in history as one of the strongest ever in sporting terms. The combination of high-quality matches, perfect weather conditions, and the unique atmosphere in the Tyrolean Alps makes the tournament a highlight of the ATP summer season.