Six matches were scheduled at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, two completing the first round and four opening the round of 16. The day began with Stuttgart finalists Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton getting through tricky debuts against Zizou Bergs and Lorenzo Sonego, working past some difficulty to reach the second round after last week's title match. The biggest surprise came from Daniel Altmaier, who upset 2022 Halle champion Hubert Hurkacz to the delight of the home crowd. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien produced one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far, going more than two and a half hours in a contest decided by the slimmest of margins. The round of 16 concludes on Thursday, with the remaining four quarterfinal places still open.
Fritz works past Bergs for his 50th career grass-court win
Taylor Fritz put the disappointment of his Stuttgart final behind him quickly, returning to winning ways with a hard-fought win over Zizou Bergs. The fifth seed recorded the 50th grass-court win of his career, but was made to work by the world No. 48 across three competitive sets. Fritz had another slow start, dropping serve to love in the opening game before breaking straight back and taking the first set in a tiebreak, where his steadier serving made the difference. Bergs played his best tennis in the second set, creating chances before striking at 6-5 to level. The decider followed the same pattern of narrow margins until Fritz took the break in the fifth game and held firm from there. The American finished with 16 aces and won 79% of points behind his first serve.
Shelton escapes the first set then pulls clear of Sonego
Fresh off his title in Stuttgart, Ben Shelton came through the first round in Halle 7-5 6-3 over Lorenzo Sonego in just over 80 minutes. It was far from straightforward. Sonego was the more composed and tactically disciplined player for much of the opening set, breaking back immediately after falling behind 4-2. The Italian then undid that work with a poor service game at 5-6, handing Shelton a set that at times looked played on instinct rather than structure. Shelton's shot-making stayed sharp, but his all-or-nothing approach looked hard to sustain. Having escaped the opener, he raised his level in the second: with more focus, the gaps in athleticism and firepower opened up, and a break in the fifth game was enough to book his place in the round of 16.
Tiafoe ends Shimabukuro's grass run
Frances Tiafoe opened the round of 16 with a straight-sets win over Sho Shimabukuro, continuing a strong grass campaign in Halle. After a first-round win over Flavio Cobolli, the American got past a player who has quietly become one of the stories of the grass season. Shimabukuro, fresh off his breakthrough week in Stuttgart and a maiden top-100 debut, again proved hard to put away, but Tiafoe's greater experience made the difference. The world No. 26 was particularly effective against the Japanese player's second serve, winning 61% of those return points and converting three break points. Shimabukuro's run ended here, but the 97th-ranked player again showed his recent rise is built on more than one result.
Auger-Aliassime survives Tien in a deciding-set tiebreak
Felix Auger-Aliassime came through one of the matches of the tournament, recovering twice to edge Learner Tien in a grass-court battle lasting two hours and 31 minutes. The second seed had to dig deep, first coming back from a set down and then overturning a 4-1 deficit in the deciding-set tiebreak. It was a match of razor-thin margins: across three long sets, only one break of serve was recorded, at 6-5 in the second. The rest came down to nerve and execution in the biggest moments. Auger-Aliassime's serving kept him afloat, with 22 aces and 88% of points won behind his first delivery, and his willingness to attack in the tiebreaks settled it. Tien again showed why he is rated one of the brightest young players on tour, but this time the bolder player in the clutch came through.
Altmaier comes back to end Hurkacz's week
The Halle crowd saw one of the matches of the week as wild card Daniel Altmaier came from behind to beat Hubert Hurkacz in a two-hour contest. The German, ranked No. 81, recovered from dropping the opening set to reach the quarterfinals on a surface that has rarely brought him much success. After the first two sets were split 6-3, it became a tense third decided by a break at 5-5. Hurkacz showed encouraging signs again after his return from injury, firing 16 aces and winning 83% of points behind his first serve, but Altmaier was more resilient in the key moments, converting two break points and saving six of the seven he faced. With the result, there are no former Halle champions left in the draw. Altmaier's recent work with grass-court specialist Dustin Brown may be starting to show, as he looks increasingly comfortable on the surface.
Medvedev keeps control against Atmane
Daniil Medvedev continued his steady progress on grass, reaching the quarterfinals with a controlled 6-4 6-4 win over Terence Atmane. The fourth seed needed only two breaks, one in the opening game and another late in the second set, to keep the Frenchman at arm's length. The scoreline suggests a close match, but Medvedev never looked in danger of losing control, winning 71% of points behind his first serve and converting both his break chances. Atmane stayed competitive on serve for long stretches, but Medvedev's consistency in return games made the difference. After an up-and-down start in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Russian is finding his rhythm on the surface.
Thursday: two German derbies and a battle of qualifiers
Thursday brings the second half of the round of 16, with two national derbies on the grass in Halle. Home favourite Alexander Zverev faces fellow German Yannick Hanfmann, who arrives off a win over Joao Fonseca, while Ben Shelton meets compatriot Ethan Quinn, who took one of the biggest wins of his career against Karen Khachanov, in an all-American clash. Fifth seed Taylor Fritz takes on Hungary's Fabian Marozsan, with the American growing into the grass season match by match and already holding 50 career wins on the surface. The day also pairs two qualifiers, Raphael Collignon and Mattia Bellucci: the Belgian reached this stage past Alexei Popyrin in straight sets, while Bellucci produced one of the upsets of the tournament by eliminating defending champion Alexander Bublik.
