Alcaraz secures victory against Zverev in a semifinal lasting over five hours
MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over potential cramps and injury to defeat Alexander Zverev in a thrilling, momentum-shifting five-set match on Friday, becoming the youngest man in the Open era to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments.
At 22, he is striving to be the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam.
He secured his first Australian Open final in a challenging manner, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in 5 hours and 27 minutes. This match was the longest of the tournament thus far and ranks as the third-longest match ever played at Melbourne Park.
This came despite being just two points away from a semifinal victory in a tournament where he had not lost a set through five rounds.
After taking a medical timeout for treatment on his upper right leg and receiving massages on the same area during two changeovers, Alcaraz’s footwork was not at its usual level for the remainder of the match.
He fell behind in the fifth set after losing the first game but maintained the pressure and did not break back until Zverev was serving for the match in the tenth game.
The top-ranked Alcaraz will next compete against either two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner or ten-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, who is pursuing an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title. The lengthy afternoon match delayed the commencement of the night semifinal.
When asked how he managed to recover despite being so close to defeat, Alcaraz simply stated he kept “believing, believing, all the time.”
“I was struggling in the middle of the third set. You know, physically it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played,” he remarked. “But I’ve been in these situations, I’ve experienced these kinds of matches before, so I knew what I had to do.
“I had to put my heart into the match. I believe I did that. I fought until the last ball. Extremely proud (of) myself.”
Alcaraz was ahead by two sets and seemed to be in the form that earned him the U.S. Open title last year and has allowed him to evenly split the last eight majors with Sinner.
However, in the ninth game of the third set, he began to limp and appeared to be dealing with an upper right leg issue. After holding serve for 5-4, he took a medical timeout during the changeover. It may have been cramping, as he rubbed the inside of his right thigh and called for the trainer, who also massaged the same area.
Zverev was visibly frustrated, addressing a tournament official when his opponent was granted a three-minute break for treatment.
Despite his limited mobility, Alcaraz managed to hit winners and reached 6-5 before the trainer returned during the changeover to massage the area once more.
Upon returning to the court, he received enthusiastic support from the crowd. Zverev served a double fault to start the next game, and Alcaraz responded with a lob followed by a forehand winner down the line to reach 0-30. However, Zverev won four consecutive points to force the tiebreaker and subsequently claimed it.
No. 3 Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, maintained his composure despite Alcaraz’s evident discomfort and the crowd at Rod Laver Arena firmly supporting the Spaniard.
He led throughout the entire fourth set, but Alcaraz stayed competitive until Zverev again took control in the tiebreaker. More than four hours had passed when the match entered a fifth set, marking the first five-set match on the center court in the 2026 tournament.
Alcaraz lost his serve in the opening game of the fifth set but remained competitive with Zverev, earning five breakpoint opportunities without converting.
The excitement escalated in the sixth game when Alcaraz sprinted across the court to retrieve a drop shot and slid at full speed for an angled forehand winner, eliciting a wild reaction from the crowd.
Alcaraz finally achieved a break when Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4.
He held serve for 6-5 and then, with Zverev serving to stay in the match, Alcaraz converted his first match point.
“I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz expressed. “It is something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.”
Source: espn.com
