Djokovic can become the oldest singles winner at the Australian Open. Ken Rosewall was a year younger when he triumphed in 1972. Djokovic first triumphed in Melbourne 18 years ago.
At the same time, the 24-year-old Sinner started spectacularly against the winner of a record 24 Grand Slams. He won Djokovic’s first serve and was flawless on his serve, scoring five aces in the opening three games. In total, he scored 26 in the game, but even that did not help him to the final.
But the Serb leveled the game over time and took a 3:1 lead in the second set. Subsequently, he saved the game, in which he was already losing 0:40 on service, and averted another Sinner’s break point in the seventh game.
Sinner’s game was no longer as precise as at the beginning of the match, but he was able to pull off millimeter-precise shots in the important moments of the third set. He averted a break point in the fifth game with one of them, and in the tenth game he patiently waited for his opponent’s mistakes, which ended the set.
Djokovic, whose path to the semi-finals was facilitated by the withdrawal of Jakub Menšík and the injury of Lorenzo Musetti, nevertheless continued to fight tirelessly. To the cheers of the audience, he equalized again after midnight local time, and in the fifth set he eliminated Sinner’s break point after another.
After four hours of play, Djokovic served for the win. At the second match point, the spectators were already standing up, but Sinner still defended himself and won a match. But the next two balls from his racket ended up in the outs and the Italian’s winning streak in Melbourne was over after 19 matches. According to the bookmakers, he was the unequivocal favorite in the semi-final duel.
“I feel as if I already won the entire tournament today. But of course I know that in two days I have to come back one more time and beat the world number one. Hopefully I will have enough fuel for that,” Djokovic said on the court. “The intensity and the quality of the match was extremely high today. And I knew that this was my only chance to succeed if I played this well,” said Djokovic, who is 10-0 in Australian Open finals.
Djokovic met Sinner for the eleventh time and won the fifth time. The Italian has succeeded in the previous five head-to-head matches, Djokovic’s last win so far came in the final of the 2023 Tournament of Champions.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz beat Zverev for the seventh time in 13 head-to-head matches and the fourth in the last five duels. At the age of 22, he has a chance to complete the career Grand Slam as the youngest player in history. It happened too the youngest player in the so-called open erawhich advanced to the finals in all the “big four” tournaments.
Today’s first semi-final lasted almost five and a half hours. It was not only the longest match of this year’s Australian Open, but also the longest semi-final in tournament history. In it, Alcaraz played 78 winning balls compared to 56 for Zverev. He was also helped by 12 aces.
“I still believed,” Alcaraz said. “I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter if you’re struggling or what you’ve been through. Whatever it is, you still have to believe in yourself. In the middle of the third set, I was struggling and physically it was one of the most demanding matches I’ve played in my short career,” said Alcaraz.
Zverev missed the chance to make it to a second straight final in Melbourne. In the fifth set at 5:4, he did not serve the match and has to wait for his first Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz won the first set thanks to a break in the ninth game, when Zverev double-faulted against a break point. In the second set, the Spaniard coped with a 2:5 disadvantage. He didn’t let his opponent to a single set point, equalized and won 7:5 in a shortened game.
Also in the third set, Alcaraz had the development in his hands. At 4:4, however, he began to struggle with pain in his right leg. He served for 5-4 and got a break for treatment. Zverev was very unhappy with that. He pointed out that tennis players cannot take it during cramps.
The Spaniard then struggled despite visible movement difficulties on the reception and at one point was two balls away from progressing. But the German equalized and won 7:3 in the tie-break. In the fourth set, Alcaraz’s movement improved. Both held serve until a shortened game in which Zverev succeeded again. This time 7:4. In the deciding fifth set, Alcaraz was catching up and facing elimination due to an early loss of serve. From 3:5, he won the remaining four games and fell to the ground after the first match point.
“I’m happy to make it to the finals for the first time in Melbourne. It was something I focused on a lot. I wanted to have a chance to fight for the title here. I think it’s been a great tournament from me so far and my game is improving. But I probably wouldn’t be doing this interview if it wasn’t for the fans. I’m really grateful for the way they pushed me in the match,” said Alcaraz.
Tennis Grand Slam Australian Open in Melbourne (hard court, AUD 111.5 million endowment):
Men:
Singles – Semifinals:
Alcaraz (1-Sp.) – Zverev (3-German) 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 6:7 (3:7), 6:7 (4:7), 7:5, Djokovic (4-Serb.) – Sinner (2-It.) 3:6, 6:3, 4:6, 6:4, 6:4.
Junior girls:
Doubles – Semifinals:
A. Kovačková, J. Kovačková (1-CR) – Makarová, Zolotarevová (Rus.) 6:4, 6:4, Heřmanová, Žoldáková (CR) – Malovová, Terentěvová (Rus.) 6:4, 7:6 (8:6).
