Carlos Alcaraz proved why he is the five-set king of tennis as the world No 1 won a record Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev to keep his career grand slam bid alive in five hours and 27 minutes.
Alcaraz looked to be cruising into his first Australian Open final without dropping a set as he led third seed Zverev after two close sets, but as he neared the finish line at 4-4 in the third, the 22-year-old dramatically pulled up, stretching his right leg.
With his movement severely limited, Alcaraz was in serious danger as Zverev forced the fourth set on a tiebreak and then won another tiebreak to take it into the decider. Zverev then broke Alcaraz’s serve in the first game of the fifth.
But the Spaniard somehow managed to hang on, giving himself time to recover physically as the semi-final became the longest ever played at the Australian Open. As Zverev served for the match, Alcaraz broke back, winning the final four games in a row 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 6-7 (4-7) 7-5.
In doing so, Alcaraz extended his record in five-set matches to 14 victories from 15 matches, with his only defeat coming against Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Australian Open in 2022, when the Spaniard was 18.
Alcaraz has won his last 12 five-set matches in a row since then, including his Roland Garros final against Jannik Sinner when he saved three championship points and now his latest escape act against Zverev.
”Believing, all the time,” Alcaraz said after advancing to Sunday’s final, where he will face either Sinner or Novak Djokovic. “I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter what. No matter what you’re struggling with , what you’ve been through, no matter anything. You still believe in yourself all the time.
”I was struggling in the middle of the third set. You know, it’s one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career. I’ve been in this kind of matches before, so I knew what I had to do. I had to put my heart into the match.
“I think I did it. I fought until the last ball. I knew that I was going to have my chances. I am just extremely proud with myself and the way that I fought and the way that I came back in the fifth set.”
Alcaraz’s recovery made history, with the chance of another significant record to come as he chases a first Australian Open title. At 22, Alcaraz is the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the final at all four grand slam tournaments – ahead of Jim Courier, who achieved the feat in 1993.
Alcaraz also moves one win becoming the youngest man in history to complete the career grand slam – ahead of Don Budge, who achieved the feat in 1938. Rafael Nadal is the youngest player to complete the career grand slam in the Open era, and was 24 when he did so in 2010.
Courier was courtside and interviewed Alcaraz after his latest epic, and pointed out the history he can create on Sunday. Thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now,” Alcaraz laughed. “Kidding, kidding!
“I’m just really, really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne. It’s something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.
“Hopefully on Sunday it’s gonna be a great atmosphere. I can’t wait. Right now my head is about recovering as much as I can, just to try to be in a good shape, to put a show for you guys. See you on Sunday!”
Should Alcaraz face Sinner, the defending champion, in Sunday’s final, the pair would become only the third men’s pair in history to compete in the finals of all four grand slam tournaments.
They would also become the second pair – after Djokovic and Rafael Nadal between 2011 and 2012 – to play in four grand slam finals in a row, after Alcaraz’s wins at Roland Garros and the US Open and Sinner’s Wimbledon triumph.
Meanwhile, a furious Zverev raged over the “unbelievable” decision to allow Alcaraz to take a medical timeout during their epic Australian Open semi-final.
Zverev had fallen two sets behind in Melbourne and looked set to be making his exit from the tournament, only to roar back and force a decider with Alcaraz increasingly struggling physically.
The Spaniard was allowed a medical timeout late in the third set as he looked to seal the match, having struggled with his movement in the preceding few games.
The trainer came on and worked on massaging Alcaraz’s upper legs, before the umpire Marijana Veljovic announced a three-minute medical timeout. Zverev, however, was furious with the decision. Under the rules, players are not allowed medical timeouts due to muscle cramping issues.
Zverev voiced his anger in German to supervisor Andreas Egli, muttering: “He has cramp! He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be? This is absolute bull****! This is unbelievable.
“You are protecting both of them [Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner], this is unbelievable. Unbelievable. This is not possible. This is not possible. You cannot be serious.”
