Alexander Zverev leads Germany past Croatia 3:1 into Davis Cup Finals

Decisive singles rubber in Halle

Germany secured qualification for the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna after defeating Croatia 3:1 in their qualifying tie at the Heristo-Arena in Halle, Westphalia. One week after defeating Ben Shelton to win the US Open in New York, world number two Alexander Zverev returned to court to lead the German Tennis Federation (DTB) team. In Sunday's second reverse singles match, the 29-year-old German faced Croatian number one Dino Prizmic, taking an early break of serve to lead 2:1 in the opening set. Zverev controlled the baseline exchanges with passing shots and strong forehands, prompting standing ovations from the home crowd before closing out the contest 6:2, 6:4. The victory gave Germany an unassailable 3:1 lead, allowing the team to advance to the knockout stage of the competition for the third consecutive year. Following match point, Zverev celebrated on the court in front of his family, including his daughter Mayla and partner Sophia Thomalla.

I am simply happy to play here for Germany.

Crucial doubles victory on Sunday

The platform for Germany's advancement was established earlier on Sunday by the doubles pairing of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. The German duo faced Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who had won the gold medal together at the Tokyo Olympics. Krawietz and Pütz broke serve late in the opening set to take it 7:5 before dominating the second set 6:2, providing Germany with a 2:1 overall advantage. The win moved Germany to within one point of qualification and prevented Croatia from taking the lead after an evenly matched opening day.

Opening day split and Croatian resistance

The tie began on Saturday with the two nations splitting the opening singles rubbers. Zverev gave Germany an initial 1:0 lead by defeating Matej Dodig 6:4, 7:6 with a 7:3 tiebreak, overcoming signs of fatigue from his tournament run in North America. Croatia responded in the second rubber when Prizmic, ranked 101st in the world, defeated Daniel Altmaier in straight sets, 6:4, 6:3. Prizmic had recorded victories over Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton at Masters events earlier in the season, and his win over Altmaier brought Croatian captain Ivan Dodig's side level at 1:1 overnight. However, during Sunday's rubber against Zverev, Prizmic struggled to maintain that defensive resilience and frequently showed frustration towards the Croatian team bench.

Pursuit of team silverware in Bologna

Germany's victory earns the squad a berth in the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy, where the final eight nations will compete from 24 to 29 November 2026. The German team reached the semi-finals in the previous edition before being eliminated by Spain. Having won both Roland Garros in Paris and the US Open in New York this season, Zverev accepted the nomination for Halle against the advice of his management team to sustain match sharpness and pursue the world number one ranking, a milestone last achieved by a German male player when Boris Becker held the top spot in 1991. The German team is seeking to win its first Davis Cup title in 33 years, following the victory led by Michael Stich, to add to Germany's position behind the United States and Italy in the competition's all-time standings.

We as the German team will get older at some point. I believe that we have the chance this year and maybe also the next two or three years. And I want to use every chance to win the Davis Cup.