Alcaraz beats Zverev to break slam record in reaching Australian Open final

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Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest antheral to scope each 4 slam finals and tin present go youngest to triumph each four.

Published On 30 Jan 2026

Carlos Alcaraz overcame cramps and wounded to fend disconnected Alexander Zverev successful an epic, momentum-swinging five-setter to go the youngest antheral successful the Open epoch to scope the finals of each 4 Grand Slam events.

At 22, he’s aiming to beryllium the youngest antheral to implicit a vocation Grand Slam.

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He reached his archetypal Australian Open last the hard way, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 successful 5 hours, 27 minutes connected Friday.

That’s contempt being 2 points distant successful the 3rd acceptable from a semifinal triumph successful a tourney wherever helium hadn’t dropped a acceptable done 5 rounds.

He was down successful the 5th acceptable aft dropping the archetypal crippled and didn’t interruption backmost until Zverev was serving for the lucifer successful the 10th.

Alcaraz volition adjacent look either two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner oregon 10-time Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title. The agelong day lucifer delayed the commencement of the night’s semifinal.

The top-ranked Alcaraz was starring by 2 sets and appeared to beryllium successful the benignant of signifier that won him the US Open past twelvemonth and has helped him evenly divided the past 8 majors with Sinner.

But successful the ninth crippled of the third, helium started limping and appeared to beryllium struggling with an precocious close limb problem. After holding for 5-4, helium took a aesculapian timeout successful the changeover. It whitethorn person been cramp, but helium rubbed the wrong of his close thigh and called for the trainer, who besides massaged the aforesaid area.

Zverev was demonstrably upset, talking with a tourney official, erstwhile his rival was fixed the three-minute interruption for treatment.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz receives aesculapian attraction during his semi last lucifer against Germany's Alexander Zverev

Even with his constricted footwork, Alcaraz was capable to deed winners and get to 6-5 earlier the trainer returned successful the changeover to massage the country again.

When helium went backmost out, the assemblage gave him rousing support. Zverev served a double-fault to unfastened the adjacent game, and Alcaraz lobbed and past slapped a forehand victor down the enactment to get to 0-30. But Zverev won 4 consecutive points to unit the tiebreaker and past triumph it.

No 3 Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, retained his composure contempt Alcaraz’s evident discomfort connected the different broadside of the net, and the assemblage connected Rod Laver Arena firmly down the Spaniard.

He was successful beforehand for the full 4th set, but Alcaraz stayed with him, until Zverev again took complaint successful the tiebreaker. More than 4 hours had elapsed erstwhile the lucifer went to a 5th set, the archetypal five-setter connected the centre tribunal successful the 2026 tournament.

Alcaraz dropped service successful the opening crippled of the 5th acceptable but hung with Zverev, getting 5 breakpoint chances without being capable to convert.

The play lifted successful the sixth game, erstwhile Alcaraz sprinted crossed tribunal to way down a driblet changeable and slid astatine afloat gait for an angled forehand winner. The assemblage went crazy.

Alcaraz yet converted the interruption erstwhile Zverev was serving for the lucifer astatine 5-4 successful the 5th set.

He held for 6-5 and converted his archetypal lucifer constituent erstwhile Zverev was serving to enactment successful the match.

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