Spain's Carlos Alcaraz on Friday entered the final of the Australian Open for the very first time in his career after beating Alexander Zverev in the first men's semi-final. The 22-year-old battled through injury to defeat the German opponent, outclassing him 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 at the Rod Laver Arena in a contest that lasted more than five hours. The No.1 seed will now take on the winner of the second semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. This was the first time that Alcaraz dropped a set in the ongoing Australian Open 2026. He would now aim to start the year with a bang, becoming the youngest player in the history of men's singles to win a career Grand Slam.
Last year, Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open, while he reached the final of Wimbledon. On all three occasions, Alcaraz faced Sinner, winning two summit clashes and losing one.
Speaking of the match between Alcaraz and Zverev, the former was quick off the blocks, winning the opening set 6-4. The German committed a sloppy, unforced error, surrendering the first set of the first men's semi-final.
Zverev then stormed right back into the contest, taking a 5-2 lead in the second set; however, Alcaraz displayed his class and willingness to fight back, recovering from being three points down to level the set at 5-5. Minutes after, the second set went to the tie-breaker, and it was Alcaraz who ended up coming out on top, and a victory was well within sight for the Spanish sensation.
Recovering from being two sets down was always going to be difficult for the 28-year-old Zverev. The third set turned out to be the final set of the first semi-final. However, there was no shortage of drama towards the end of the semi-final, as Alcaraz suffered an injury scare midway through the third set. Zverev wasn't pleased with Alcaraz taking a short time out, arguing that the Spaniard had suffered a cramp and shouldn't be allowed to take time off in the middle of the game.
{{/usCountry}}Recovering from being two sets down was always going to be difficult for the 28-year-old Zverev. The third set turned out to be the final set of the first semi-final. However, there was no shortage of drama towards the end of the semi-final, as Alcaraz suffered an injury scare midway through the third set. Zverev wasn't pleased with Alcaraz taking a short time out, arguing that the Spaniard had suffered a cramp and shouldn't be allowed to take time off in the middle of the game.
{{/usCountry}}As Zverev kept arguing with the officials, Alcaraz kept receiving treatment from his physio. Alcaraz was also seen drinking pickle juice, leading the commentators to suggest it might just be a cramp rather than a serious injury. Alcaraz's injury hampered his progress, and Zverev came back, winning the third set 7-6.
Zverev and Alcaraz kept on going back and forth in the fourth set, and it was no surprise that once again it went to a tie-breaker. Zverev started unleashing powerful serves, and it was all a bit too much for Alcaraz; as a result, the match went into the fifth and final set.
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.