Zverev stuns Alcaraz to reach Australian Open semi-finals

Germany’s Alexander Zverev delivered a stunning performance to upset second seed Carlos Alcaraz and secure a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4 victory in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Zverev made an impressive start on Rod Laver Arena, dominating the opening set and dropping just two points on serve. The sixth seed maintained his solid form in the second set, breaking Alcaraz’s serve twice as errors crept into the Spaniard’s game.
Throughout the third set, Zverev continued to exhibit an exceptionally high level of play.However, he experienced a momentary lapse when serving for the match, allowing Alcaraz to stage a remarkable comeback and force a tiebreak, which the young Spaniard won convincingly.
Despite Alcaraz gaining momentum in the fourth set, a determined Zverev fought off fatigue, stayed competitive with his opponent, and managed to break serve at 4-4. This crucial break paved the way for Zverev to close out the match, securing his first-ever victory against a top-five ranked opponent in a Grand Slam.
Zverev, still searching for a breakthrough major title, will meet Medvedev next after the Russian third seed battled past Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in five gruelling sets.
But Zverev had to dig deep to get past Alcaraz, who was 2-5 down in the third set and seemingly out for the count.
“I’m playing one of the best players in the world, especially over the last two years … he’s won two Grand Slams,” said Zverev.
“When you’re up 6-1, 6-3, 5-2, you start thinking, ‘we’re all human, and it’s a great honour to play against guys like this’ and when you’re so close to winning your brain starts going and it’s not always helpful.
“But I’m happy that I fought back quite well in the fourth set and didn’t let go.”
The 26-year-old last made the semis in Melbourne in 2020 and has only once been to a Grand Slam final, when he lost the 2020 US Open decider to Dominic Thiem despite holding a 2-0 lead.
Before meeting Zverev, Alcaraz had only dropped one set and a single service game and had spent five hours less on court than the German.
(With Agency inputs)