Melbourne: Carlos Alcaraz entered his first Australian Open final on Friday after surviving Alexander Zverev in a brutal five-set semifinal that rewrote the tournament’s history books.
The world No. 1 dug deep to outlast the third seed 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in the longest Australian Open semifinal ever, a punishing five hours and 27 minutes under the lights at Melbourne Park.
Playing his 10th Grand Slam semifinal—and his first in Melbourne—Alcaraz appeared to be cruising when he surged to a two-sets-to-love lead and moved within two games of victory. But physical fatigue crept in, allowing Zverev to claw his way back and force a deciding fifth set.
Drawing on remarkable mental resilience and sheer physical endurance, the 21-year-old Spaniard steadied himself in the final set to close out the contest and secure his place in Sunday’s championship match.
The victory made Alcaraz the youngest player in the Open era to reach finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments, while also keeping his pursuit of a career Grand Slam firmly alive.
Standing between him and a seventh major title will be either two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner or 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, setting the stage for a blockbuster final at Melbourne Park.
Source: Australian open
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