Yannick Hanfmann booked his spot in the Generali Open semi-finals, defeating 2023 champion Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinal. But while the German made light work of his opponent, his post-match interview turned into a battle against the elements. Strong gusts of wind swept across the court, blowing clouds of red clay into Hanfmann’s face and making it nearly impossible for him to speak.

The conditions were so severe that the sponsor board behind him was blown over, bringing the interview to an abrupt halt. Despite the chaos, the interviewer attempted to keep the conversation going, but the board continued to shift further out of position. “And we love seeing you here. It’s your 11th ATP semi-final. It’s kind of windy today,” the interviewer said, laughing through the interruption. 

As the gusts intensified, Hanfmann himself held onto the board with one hand just to keep it upright, before a tournament staff member eventually rushed in to grab hold of it and steady things enough for the interview to continue.

The 34-year-old became the oldest semi-finalist in the history of the tournament. It has been a dominant semi-final run through the draw as he is yet to drop a set in the tournament. The victories came against Lukas Neumayer 7-6(5), 6-4 and Marco Trungelliti 6-4, 7-6(2) in the R32 and R16 respectively, and then a QF victory against the Argentine pro. These results have pushed his ranking to world No.52.

This run is especially interesting because of its specificity to this single tournament. The quarter-final against Baez marked Hanfmann’s 22nd career match in Kitzbuhel, more than he has played at any other event on tour. This is his fourth semi-final at the Austrian Alps venue; he reached the final in 2020, losing to Miomir Kecmanovic.

Kitzbuhel’s strange hold over Hanfmann continues 

Even Yannick Hanfmann can’t fathom why the clay courts in the Tyrolean mountains seem to evoke his best tennis so often. “From the beginning until the end it was a solid performance,” he said after beating Baez. “I’m very happy that I’m playing so well at the moment. I love it.” Asked directly why Kitzbühel in particular keeps producing these results for him, he simply shrugged off any deeper explanation. “I have no words for it.”

This late-career surge is all the more interesting because there’s so much more to Hanfmann’s story. Hanfmann, born with a hearing impairment, competed at USC and climbed the Challenger circuit to a career-high ranking of No. 45 in 2023. He is in the final four at an age in which most of his fellow tour players are looking to retire rather than reach new career heights. 

Hanfmann now moves on to face France’s Quentin Halys for the third time in his career, with the pair set to meet on Center Court. The Frenchman holds an advantage over him, with both previous meetings going his way, but considering the venue and his form, Halys is not a clear favorite to win. 

Despite so much success at the venue, the German has never won the tournament there. With the final on line, he will try to cap off that record by reaching there and earning a title to his name on Sunday.