Five Hours of Madness: Alcaraz Reaches Maiden Australian Open Final
Carlos Alcaraz didn’t just win a semi-final. He endured it.
In the longest men’s singles semi-final in Australian Open history, the world No. 1 outlasted Alexander Zverev in a brutal five-hour, 27-minute marathon to reach his maiden final at Melbourne Park.
The 22-year-old Spaniard prevailed 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in a match that drained both bodies and belief, pushing the contest into the tournament’s folklore. Only two matches in Australian Open history have lasted longer.
Alcaraz looked in command early. He surged to a two-set lead with crisp serving and controlled aggression, even rallying from 2-5 down in the second set to steal the tie-break. It felt, briefly, like a straight-sets escape.
Then the match turned.
Midway through the third set, Alcaraz grimaced, clutching his upper right leg. He received on-court treatment and struggled to move freely, opening the door for Zverev. The German seized the moment, winning the next two tie-breaks to force a deciding fifth set.
Zverev pressed hard. He broke early in the decider and later served for the match at 5-4, saving multiple break points and standing just one game away from a career-defining victory.
But Alcaraz refused to yield.
Driven by a roaring crowd, he broke serve, steadied himself, and dragged Zverev into a final, nerve-shredding game at 6-5. Under pressure, Zverev blinked. A backhand drifted long.
Finding fresh legs and fearless belief, he ripped through four straight games with explosive shot-making, flipping the match in breathtaking fashion. When Zverev’s final volley fell into the net, Alcaraz collapsed onto the court: spent, stunned and victorious.
“You have to believe, no matter what,” he said. “And the crowd…they pulled me back into this match.”
The win makes Alcaraz the youngest player in the Open Era to reach finals at all four Grand Slams, keeping alive his chase for a career Grand Slam. He will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.
(With inputs from ANI)