Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Friday reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, overcoming Germany’s Alexander Zverev in a gripping five-set semi-final at Rod Laver Arena. The 22-year-old, battling through an injury scare, outlasted Zverev 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 in a contest that lasted over five hours.
Alcaraz, the top seed, will now face the winner of the second men’s semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Having dropped just one set in the tournament so far, he aims to begin the year by becoming the youngest male player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
“Winning that second set tie-breaker was crucial. I just kept believing in myself,” Alcaraz said after the match.
Last year, Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open, while also reaching the Wimbledon final. On each occasion, he faced Sinner in a Grand Slam final, winning two of those encounters.
The semi-final began with Alcaraz taking control, winning the first set 6-4 after Zverev made an unforced error. Zverev stormed back in the second set, moving to a 5-2 lead, but Alcaraz fought back to level at 5-5 before winning the tie-break.
Zverev then took the third set 7-6 after Alcaraz suffered a mid-set cramp, briefly leaving the court for treatment. “I just needed a short break to recover. It was nothing serious,” Alcaraz explained, sipping pickle juice as commentators suggested the cramp was the issue. Zverev was visibly frustrated with the treatment pause, arguing with officials over the time out.
In the final set, Zverev was quick off the mark, and he managed to take an early lead. However, as on so many previous occasions, Alcaraz found something within himself, staging a remarkable comeback and winning the final set 7-5. The expressions of both Alcaraz and Zverev after the end summed it up best as the duo hugged it out in the middle after being involved in a five-set marathon.
