Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz Battles Against Alexander Zverev In Epic Semi-final To Reach Maiden Final

 

Carlos Alcaraz defied an injury scare in a fierce semi-final match against Alexander Zverev, battling through an intriguing five-setter to reach the final of the Australian Open for the first time. 

It was a bitter match as Zverev unleashed all his arsenals against the top seed, in the quest for his first Grand Slam title. It was a disappointing end, despite battling through exhausting three tiebreaks when the 2025 finalist was defeated in five sets by 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-7(4), 7-5. 

Until now, Carlos' best in Melbourne was reaching the quarter-finals. In the last edition, he was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, denying him the season's first Grand Slam tournament title. The Spaniard finally got his revenge on Zverev, who defeated him in the quarter-final of the 2024 edition. 

The match was such an intriguing clash that the Spaniard, after winning his first break point in the first set at 3-3 40/30 and the second break in a rally at 3-5, the German rallied to force the match to a distance, lasting for five hours and 27 minutes. 

Zverev unleashed his fearsome forehand against the 22-year-old, who deployed the use of drop shots, but the German was up to the task. He was attended by the paramedics after suffering a cramp in the third set at 4-5. He rallied from two games down in the final set at 3-5, breaking twice to win a match point as Zverev unforced a drop shot. 

He stands to face either Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner in the final. However, he is now the youngest player in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals - Australian Open, US Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open.