Carlos Alcaraz swept past fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday to stretch his winning streak and set up a Queen's Club final against Czech Jiri Lehecka.
Top seed Alcaraz, 22, had too much firepower for his 37-year-old opponent during a 6-4, 6-4 victory, his 17th successive win and the 250th of his career.
British fans had hoped to witness a final showdown between Alcaraz and home favourite Jack Draper but Lehecka ripped up that script with superb 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 defeat of the second seed.
Lehecka, 23, is the first Czech man to reach a top level grasscourt final for 15 years.
"It means a lot. You don't meet a player like Jack every day, he's an amazing competitor," Lehecka said.
Alcaraz, Queen's champion in 2023, was stretched to the absolute limit against compatriot Jaume Munar earlier in the week during a tussle lasting more than three hours.
But he was more comfortable against Bautista Agut, who provided stubborn resistance but never really looked like springing an upset on a sultry afternoon in west London.
An early break of serve in each set proved sufficient for Alcaraz, who reached his fifth final in a row.
"I'm feeling I'm playing great tennis and feeling more comfortable," said Alcaraz, who won his fifth Grand Slam title this month at the French Open.
"I love stepping on court and love playing with a smile on my face. That's why I'm making good results."
LEHECKA SILENCES CROWD
Earlier, world number 30 Lehecka silenced the crowd by beating Draper, whose run to the semi-finals means he will be seeded fourth at Wimbledon which starts on June 30.
Second seed Draper, bidding to follow in the footsteps of five-times Queen's champion Andy Murray, dropped his opening service game and Lehecka barely a put a foot wrong as he took the first set in clinical fashion.
Left-hander Draper saved a break point early in the second set and broke fellow 23-year-old Lehecka's serve for the first time in the 10th game to level the match.
Both players were rock solid on serve in the decider with Lehecka having the first chance of a break at 4-4 but Draper survived to pile the pressure on his opponent.
Lehecka did not flinch, though, and broke serve at 5-5 with two stunning passing shots, one a forehand and then a backhand, to leave Draper smashing his racket in rage against a court-side electronic advertising board and receiving a code violation.
Lehecka still needed to hold his serve to reach the final and he did so in style, roaring his delight after clinching his first victory against a top-10 player since beating Alcaraz in Doha in February.
The last Czech man to reach a top-level grasscourt final was Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon in 2010 and the last to do so at Queen's was Ivan Lendl in 1990.
Draper said he would take a few days off to recover from tonsillitis.
"I'm proud of the way I went about things, considering, but it's tough," Draper said. "My main goal is to go into Wimbledon as prepared as possible and as fresh as possible."
Vondrousova ousts top seed Sabalenka to reach Berlin final
Marketa Vondrousova powered past world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-4 at the Berlin Open on Saturday to book a place in her first final since she won Wimbledon in 2023.
Czech Vondrousova controlled the tempo from the outset with big serving on the grass as she wrapped up the win in one hour and 20 minutes. She broke the Belarusian twice in the first set while saving both break points she faced.
The second set saw the players trade early breaks and Sabalenka saved two break points to stay in touch at 3-2, before the match settled into a rhythm at 4-4.
Sabalenka, who saved four match points against Elena Rybakina on Friday, could not repeat that escape as Vondrousova broke for 5-4 and served it out on her first match point with an ace.
"I feel like on grass you have to take risks, you know, and that was the point; I was like, okay, let's try. The match would continue otherwise, so you have to go for it. I was feeling really well today so, yeah, I'm just very happy," Vondrousova said.
"I didn't play for a long time, so I'm just so happy to be back healthy and so grateful to play these matches. When I saw the field, I was like, okay, let's try to win the first round, and now this is happening. So thank you guys for the support."
While Sabalenka struggled to find consistency, racking up 30 unforced errors, Vondrousova stayed measured and composed throughout, limiting her own tally to 12.
Despite previous wins over Sabalenka, this was Vondrousova’s first career victory against a reigning number one. Currently ranked 164, the Czech has battled injuries since July 2024 and entered Berlin unseeded after missing three months this season with a shoulder injury.
Vondrousova will play qualifier Wang Xinyu in Sunday's final, after the Chinese player beat Russian Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 15 minutes to reach the first final of her career.
After securing the first break of the match, Wang built up a 5-2 lead before Samsonova hit back to narrow the gap. But Wang held firm, converting her fourth set point to break again and close out the set.
Wang dominated the second set, breaking for 3-1 and saving two break points to hold for 4-1. She broke again for 5-1 on her fourth chance and calmly served out the match.
The 23-year-old Wang, ranked 49th in the world, has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the round of 16.
"This week has been a dream for me. I've been playing unbelievable tennis here. I don't know, it's something with Berlin I guess," Wang said.
"Coming to every match here, I wasn't expecting anything, you know. For me, it was really just to enjoy the stage... We're always saying that (you should) celebrate before the final because if you lose that, you don't celebrate anything for this incredible week."
Medvedev outlasts Zverev to reach Halle final
Daniil Medvedev reached his first ATP Tour final for 15 months as he outlasted Germany's world number three Alexander Zverev 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4 at the Halle Open on Saturday.
The Russian former world number one could have spared himself some overtime had he not let three match points slip in the second set, but he eventually got the job done in just under three hours.
"I am happy with my level, I played great," Medvedev said.
"I would have loved to finish on the match points (in the second set). The first one I went for it and missed it. The second one I went a bit slower to wait for a mistake and he made a great point. I am happy to win in the end."
Medvedev, who now has a 13-7 career record against Zverev, will play either Alexander Bublik or Karen Khachanov in Sunday's final where he will seek his 21st Tour-level title.
He needed treatment for a nosebleed at 4-4 in an intense first set but was gifted the first-set tiebreaker as Zverev offered up a clutch of unforced errors.
Zverev was broken at the start of the second set but clawed his way back and then saved three match points when serving at 5-6 before holding serve in an extended 12th game to set up a tiebreak in which he played some precise tennis.
Medvedev quickly regrouped though and was the dominant player in the decider.
Whatever the outcome of the final, he will return to the world's top 10 on Monday.