Alexander Zverev produced an impressive display to beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets on Saturday and book his spot in the Madrid Open final.
Fifth seed Zverev, who stunned five-time champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, saw off Thiem 6-3, 6-4 in a repeat of the 2018 final, which was also won by the German.
Thiem threatened a late fightback after trailing 4-1 in the second set, but had too much to do to reach a third Madrid final.
The Austrian third seed will now turn his attentions to Rome next week and then the French Open which starts later this month, where he is also a two-time runner-up.
The tournament has seen a welcome return to form for Zverev, who had won only two matches in his previous three events since lifting the Acapulco title in March.
The results:
Men: Semifinals: Alexander Zverev bt Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4.
Quarterfinals: Casper Ruud bt Alexander Bublik 7-5, 6-1; Matteo Berrettini bt Cristian Garín 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
Doubles: Quarterfinals: Alexander Zverev (Ger) & Tim Puetz (Ger) bt Rohan Bopanna & Denis Shapovalov (Can) 6-4, 3-6, [10-5] .
