Australian Open: Alcaraz wins thrilling match by a narrow margin
Melbourne: Chasing his first Australian Open title, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz secured his maiden final appearance in Melbourne on Friday, defeating third seed Alexander Zverev in the longest Australian Open semi-final in history.
After recovering from a right upper leg injury sustained late in the third set, the Spaniard fought back from a 3-5 deficit in the deciding set to win 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5, securing his first final in Melbourne. He also became the youngest player in the Open Era to reach all four Grand Slam finals.
In the longest Australian Open semi-final and the third longest match at Melbourne Park, the five-hour, 27-minute victory kept the Spaniard’s career Grand Slam hopes alive. With the semi-final win, the 22-year-old Spaniard is just one win away from becoming the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam (winning singles titles at all four majors).
Standing between him and a seventh Grand Slam trophy on Sunday are either two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner or 10-time champion Novak Djokovic. If he defeats Sinner or Djokovic in Sunday’s final, Alcaraz will break his compatriot Rafael Nadal’s record for the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam.
History shows that World No. 1 players have often performed well at the Australian Open, a trend Carlos Alcaraz aims to continue as he stands just one win away from his first Melbourne crown.
Eight members of the prestigious ATP No. 1 club have won a combined 16 Australian Open titles while holding the top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings. Alcaraz’s great rival Jannik Sinner achieved this feat last season, becoming only the second player in the last five years to do so (Novak Djokovic, 2021).
Alcaraz has reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne in each of the last two seasons. If the Spaniard goes on to win the title, he will join Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal as one of the select few players who were ranked World No. 1 in the ATP rankings when they won their first Australian Open trophy. The six-time Grand Slam champion’s only major win while ranked No. 1 came at Wimbledon in 2023, where he defeated Djokovic in a five-set final, ending the Serbian’s 34-match winning streak at the All England Club. In 2022, Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open and became World No. 1 after that victory. At 19 years old, Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 player in the history of the ATP rankings.
