Five years after his first appearance in Vienna, Alcaraz is back in the semi-finals. It is also the 50th ATP Tour semi-final of his career. Medvedev, meanwhile, has won seven consecutive matches following his title triumph in Almaty last week. This will be his tenth semi-final of the season, a tally bettered only by Alexander Zverev, who has reached 12.

Medvedev secured his place in the last four by ending French qualifier Adrian Mannarino’s impressive run on Friday. He advanced with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory.

“It was a physically demanding match,” Medvedev said afterwards. “It was about who could force the other player into an uncomfortable position first. I think I was simply better at that today. I also had more answers on his serve. I believe I deserved the victory.”

Alcaraz booked his semi-final spot with a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Tommy Paul (USA/7).

“I’m really happy to be back in the semi-finals here in Vienna and also with the way I’m playing,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I haven’t dropped a set so far. I’m really looking forward to stepping onto the court again tomorrow and playing another great match.”

Looking ahead to his semi-final opponent, the Spaniard added: “He is playing great tennis. Winning a title always gives you a lot of confidence. I have watched his matches here, and he is playing extremely well. His style is very difficult to play against. I will be prepared for a physically demanding battle and long rallies.”

Alcaraz leads their head-to-head series 6-3. Their most recent meeting came in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year, where Medvedev prevailed in straight sets.