Third-ranked defending champion Alexander Zverev reached the Washington Open final on Saturday by defeating Greek teen Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 to launch the first all-21-or-under ATP semifinals in 23 years.
Germany's Zverev, the oldest of the last four at 21, will play on Sunday for the $384,120 (331,637 euros) top prize against 19-year-old Australian Alex De Minaur, who defeated Russian Andrey Rublev, 20. De Minaur came back from going a set down to down Rublev 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
Not since 1995 at Buenos Aires had the ATP seen a completely 21-and-under semifinal and it's a first in the Washington event's half-century history.
Top seed Zverev could join a Washington back-to-back champions list that includes Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro (2008-09) plus Americans Andre Agassi (1990-91 and 1998-99) and Michael Chang (1996-97).
Zverev seeks his ninth career ATP title and third of the year after Munich and Madrid. He also was runner-up at Miami and Rome.
Tsitsipas, 19, is ranked a career-high 32nd. He became the first Greek ATP finalist in 45 years in April at Barcelona. Last month at Wimbledon, he became the first Greek in the last 16 at any Open era Grand Slam.
Zverev broke in the third and fifth games of the opening set, which he took in 34 minutes with his third of five aces, then broke Tsitsipas again on his fourth chance during an epic 15-minute ninth game of the second set. Zverev held a final time to settle matters after 88 minutes.
De Minaur has never beaten Zverev, the Aussie falling in a Davis Cup fifth-set tie-breaker earlier this year. Sunday's final will be the youngest ATP final in 11 years when Rafael Nadal, 20, took on Novak Djokovic, 19, at the Indian Wells Masters.
De Minaur advanced into the last four by walkover when three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray withdrew on Friday after his third grueling three-set victory in four days.
In the companion WTA event, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia advanced by defeating Kazakh eighth seed Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal rained out on Friday.
World number 128 Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open champion as well as a 2014 Washington winner, booked a semifinal against Germany's 91st-ranked Andrea Petkovic.
In the other women's semifinal, Croatian seventh seed Donna Vekic -- who eliminated Poland's Magda Linette 6-1, 7-6 (7/0) -- will meet China's 85th-ranked Zheng Saisai, who beat US qualifier Allie Kiick 6-3, 6-1.
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