Category: Tennis

An ailing Carlos Alcaraz said “believing” helped him pull through one of the most demanding matches of his career to down Alexander Zverev in five epic sets and reach his first Australian Open final on Friday.

The world number one outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5hrs 27 mins in hot conditions and will play either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s title match in Melbourne.

The Spaniard only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp.

He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.

Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping.

Alcaraz continued, but his movement was hampered, and he lost his first set of the tournament, before the pickle juice kicked in and he fought on.

Despite not being at 100 percent the 22-year-old somehow found a way to claw back from a breakdown in the fifth set as the crowd roared him on.

Germany’s Zverev was left shattered in his latest failed bid to win a major.

“Believing all the time,” Alcaraz, into his eighth major final and fourth in a row, said of how he pulled through.

“I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter what, no matter what struggles you’ve been through, you’ve gotta still believe in yourself all the time.

“I was struggling in the middle of the third set,” he added. “Basically, it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career.

“But I’ve been in these kinds of situations, these kinds of matches before.

“I had to put my heart into the match. I fought until the last ball.”

Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two US Opens, and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.

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Should he snap the drought, he would be the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, surpassing compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who was 24 when he did so.

His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men’s singles final at all four Slams.

“I’m really happy to play my first final in Melbourne. It’s something I was pursuing a lot,” said Alcaraz, who collapsed to the court at the end. “It’s been a great two weeks so far. My level is improving a lot.”

The first set went with serve with few meaningful rallies, until Alcaraz unleashed a backhand winner at 3-3 to earn the first break point of the match.

Zverev held on, but the Spaniard worked another break point on his next serve, with the German double-faulting as the pressure mounted.

Alcaraz served out for the set, but the towering Zverev kept his cool and raised his level to earn his first break points of the match at 3-2 in the second set.

The top seed saved two but whipped a forehand long to slide 4-2 behind.

Alcaraz sensationally broke back as Zverev served at 5-3, and it went to a tiebreak, where the world number one prevailed with a scorching forehand.

Disaster struck in the third set when Alcaraz began limping badly.

He managed to hold for 5-4 but took a medical timeout, leaving Zverev fuming, before continuing to another tiebreak where the German made his move.

Despite the problems, Alcaraz continued winning points and holding serve in set four as his movement improved, and another tiebreak beckoned with the third seed again coming out on top.

Zverev broke early in the fifth to move 2-0 ahead, but he folded when serving for the match, and Alcaraz broke back for 5-5, and then again to seal the most dramatic of wins.

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Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka crushed Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in a politically charged Australian Open semi-final on Thursday and faces Elena Rybakina for a third Melbourne title.

There was no handshake after Sabalenka dismantled Svitolina 6-2, 6-3, before Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was also a straight-sets winner, over Jessica Pegula of the United States.

The ruthless Sabalenka will take some stopping as she pursues a third Melbourne crown in four years.

She is on an 11-match win streak this year, having come into the first major of 2026 on the back of claiming the title in Brisbane.

The hard-hitting 27-year-old is into her fourth Australian Open final in a row and yet to drop a set all year.

Sabalenka and Moscow-born fifth seed Rybakina have met 14 times, with the Belarusian winning eight of them.

That includes the Melbourne final in 2023, when Sabalenka fought back to win in three sets.

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Ahead of her semi-final clash with 12th seed Svitolina, an announcement was made at Rod Laver Arena that there would be no handshake afterwards, asking fans to “respect” that.

Like other players from Ukraine, Svitolina does not shake hands with opponents from Russia or Moscow’s ally Belarus because of the war.

Sabalenka and Svitolina also noticeably kept apart for the pre-match formalities and photos.

After a dominant victory, Sabalenka was close to tears as she reflected on the “dream” life she leads.

She had warm words for Svitolina, saying: “I’m super happy with the win, she’s a really tough opponent, she was playing really incredible tennis throughout the whole week.”

There was controversy at the start of the fourth game.

With the match on serve, Sabalenka was hit with a hindrance call from the umpire for grunting, triggering a long video review and boos.

A clearly irritated Sabalenka lost the point but recovered her poise and a break of serve early in the second set to surge home.

A reflective Svitolina said the plight of her homeland put the defeat into perspective.

“People are really living horrible and terrifying lives in Ukraine, so I should not be allowed to really be sad because I’m a very, very lucky person,” the 31-year-old said.

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Amanda Anisimova said she will “lose her mind” for a couple of days after suffering defeat in her Australian Open quarter-final on Wednesday to fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The 24-year-old Anisimova’s hopes of a third Grand Slam final in a row imploded in a blur of unforced errors and with several angry shows of frustration.

Sixth-seeded Pegula beat the fourth seed 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in Melbourne, and Anisimova admitted her opponent was “playing great tennis. She’s always playing stable”.

But Anisimova was annoyed with herself too, as she totted up 44 unforced errors to Pegula’s 21 and made seven double faults.

At one moment in the second set, she had her head in her hands as the match slipped away.

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The defeat and the nature of it will rankle, especially because she was considered a serious challenger for the title.

“I would say as a tennis player, you can be very irrational, and obviously I’m very grateful for the life that I have, the career I have,” said Anisimova, who in 2023 took an eight-month break from tennis for her mental health.

“But you kind of lose your mind after matches like this.

“I think that after a day like today, I’m going to completely lose all sense of rationality for, like, 48 hours.

“That’s just kind of what goes into working so hard for something, and then you have matches and days like this.”

Pegula’s reward is a semi-final meeting with the Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina.

READ: Pegula edges past Anisimova to set up semi-final against Rybakina

Jessica Pegula edged past Amanda Anisimova to set up an Australian Open semi-final clash against Elena Rybakina, where Novak Djokovic hopes to join them later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, stunned second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in Melbourne to book her spot in the last four.

Pegula swept aside an error-strewn Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in an all-American quarter-final.

Rybakina has made the Melbourne final once before, in 2023, when she lost in three tough sets to Aryna Sabalenka.

The 26-year-old fifth seed took her latest victory in her stride, saying a calmer mindset helped in the heat of battle.

“In the beginning, when it’s the first final, and you go so far in a tournament, of course, you are more emotional,” said Rybakina.

“Now I feel like I’m just doing my job, trying to improve each day. So it’s kind of another day, another match.”

Defeat denied Swiatek in her latest bid for a career Grand Slam of all four majors, having already won Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open.

Sixth seed Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina have shared three wins each in their six matches so far.

Pegula is yet to drop a set this year in Melbourne and is arrowing in on her first major crown at the age of 31.

“It’s awesome,” Pegula said of reaching her first Australian semi-final, having beaten defending champion Madison Keys in the previous round.

She was helped by an error-riddled display from fourth seed Anisimova, who racked up 44 unforced errors to Pegula’s 21.

Her frustrations boiled over at the end as her hopes of reaching a third major title in a row melted away in a blur of mistakes.

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Two-time champion Sabalenka faces Ukrainian 12th seed Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.

Also on day 11 at Melbourne Park, where temperatures were far more comfortable than the 43 °C on Tuesday, Djokovic faces Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

The winner will meet two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner or all-action Ben Shelton of the United States in the last four.

Djokovic has won a record-equalling 24 Grand Slam titles, 10 of them in Melbourne.

But a 25th has remained agonisingly out of reach since triumphing at the US Open in 2023.

Djokovic got a free ride into the Musetti showdown when rising Czech star Jakub Mensik pulled out injured, giving the 38-year-old Serb an extra day’s rest.

“Pretty sure he won’t be tired,” said the fifth-seeded Italian Musetti. “But hopefully the rhythm that I have right now… will bring me luck for the next one. I feel ready to try to push him to his maximum.”

The odds are stacked against Musetti, who is into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.

He has played Djokovic 10 times before — and only beaten him once, back in 2023.

Sinner is bidding to win the Melbourne crown for a third time in a row, something only Djokovic has done in the Open era (since 1968).

He has a tough opponent in Shelton, who reached the semi-finals last year, where he lost in straight sets to Sinner.

The pair have met nine times, with the world number two winning eight of them. But Shelton is a fan favourite and is hoping to harness the energy of a “rowdy” crowd to pull off a shock.

“I’m definitely a competitor, I’m rowdy on court, I look forward to rowdy crowds,” he said.

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Last year’s runner-up, Alexander Zverev, served his way into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday as he crushed young American Learner Tien under a barrage of aces.

Zverev won 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) and faces world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the Melbourne final.

German world number three Zverev is desperate to finally win a Grand Slam at age 28, having been well beaten in last year’s title decider by Jannik Sinner.

“Without my aces I probably would not have won today,” said Zverev, who sent down 24 aces and made only one double fault, on a match point. “Obviously very happy with my serve.

“Learner off the baseline was playing unbelievable,” he added. “The way he is playing is incredible.”

The quarter-final took place under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena to fend off temperatures forecast to hit 45 °C outside.

At 29 in the world, the Californian Tien was the lowest-ranked player left in the men’s draw.

He was also the youngest at age 20 and was playing in the biggest match of his life, having never reached the last eight at a major before.

In contrast, Zverev is an experienced campaigner at the deep end of Grand Slams, but has famously never captured one of the four biggest tournaments.

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He was also a runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and again at the French Open in 2024.

The more experienced man made the better start, breaking Tien for a 4-2 lead on the way to clinching the first set.

Tien, who won his first ATP title in November and is coached by the 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, went toe-to-toe with Zverev in the second set.

With serve dominating, they went to a tiebreak, where Zverev upped the ante to go 5-3 up.

But Tien refused to buckle and defended brilliantly, clawing back and then overhauling the deficit to level the match.

The American had the crowd on his side, but Zverev’s serve was relentless, and he barrelled into a 5-1 lead in the third set.

Zverev romped through the set in 28 minutes as Tien’s unforced error count mounted.

With Chang a vocal presence, Tien regathered in the fourth and had a set point at 6-5, only for Zverev to dig himself out of trouble and force the tiebreak.

With his serve blazing, the German raced through the tiebreak to wrap up victory.

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Amanda Anisimova swept past China’s unseeded Wang Xinyu into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday and set up a showdown with fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The fourth seed, who contested two Grand Slam finals last year, kept her cool as temperatures soared to down Wang 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 on John Cain Arena.

She will play Pegula for a place in her first Melbourne Park semi-final after the 31-year-old disposed of defending champion Madison Keys in straight sets.

Anisimova and Pegula have met three times before, with the sixth seed winning them all.

“I’m feeling great. I mean, what a battle out there today. Tough conditions again, against a really good opponent. I’ve never played her before, she’s playing some great tennis,” said Anisimova.

“There were a lot of fans from China today, but honestly, it made the atmosphere so great. I don’t find it disrespectful at all.

“They’re just very loud, so they make the energy really fun.”

Anisimova enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, reaching finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.

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Should she get past Pegula, Swiatek is a potential last-four opponent.

There was little to split her and Wang in the early stages, staying on serve until the 24-year-old American finally worked the first break point at 3-2.

But Wang saved and served out to keep it level-pegging.

Anisimova was slowly gaining the ascendancy, and after a hold to love, she made her move as Wang was serving to stay alive, earning a set point.

But again, the Chinese player snuffed out the threat to take it to a tight tiebreak, where Anisimova muscled her way through with some searing groundstrokes.

Neither player dropped serve in set one, but there were three breaks to start the next set, with Anisimova snaring two of them before Wang had a medical timeout.

Wang seemingly gestured towards her groin when she called the physio and returned with heavy strapping on her upper right leg.

Despite showing no obvious discomfort, she couldn’t find a way to claw back into the contest, and Anisimova calmly completed the job with an ace.

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Ten-time champion Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open quarter-finals without striking a ball Sunday after his last-16 opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew.

The pair were due to play in a night match on centre court on Monday, but “super sad” Czech star Mensik pulled out with an abdominal injury.

His withdrawal means Djokovic will play Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or American ninth seed Taylor Fritz for a place in the semi-finals.

“Unfortunate decision to make for me,” said rising star Mensik, who beat American Ethan Quinn in three sets to set up the Djokovic clash.

“After the last couple of matches I started to feel worse, and actually the problem is my abdominal muscle on the left side.

“I think if I would step on the court tomorrow, it would be such a big risk for me for my next weeks, for my next tournaments, and actually for my health.

“The fact that my fourth-round match was to be against Novak on Rod Laver Arena makes it even more difficult,” added the 20-year-old.

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“So, of course, I’m super sad not to step on the court and to compete against my idol and the GOAT.”

Djokovic became the first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches when he swept past Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets to set up the Mensik match.

The 24-time Slam winner is in good form so far as he bids to shatter the recent dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Since his last Slam title, in 2023 at the US Open, Alcaraz or Sinner have shared all eight majors.

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Record-shattering Novak Djokovic said he was “hanging in there” after becoming the first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches Saturday on his way into the last 16 at the Australian Open.

The 38-year-old Serbian great swept past Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in front of a boisterous crowd on centre court to extend his own all-time record of match wins at the majors.

Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365) are the next best.

Victory was also his 102nd at Melbourne Park, where he has won 10 titles, tying Federer for the most Australian Open singles wins.

Djokovic’s reward is a fourth-round clash with either Czech rising star Jakub Mensik or American tournament debutant Ethan Quinn, whose match was delayed due to extreme heat.

The 24-time Slam winner is in good form so far as he bids to shatter the recent dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

“I’m still trying to give these young guys a push for their money,” said Djokovic. “I’m still around. I’m hanging in there.

“Obviously, Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world. They’re playing on a different level from all of us right now.

“But, you know, when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here, on the court that has given me the most in my career.”

But after making the semi-finals at all four majors last year and not going further, he stressed that he was “not getting ahead of myself”.

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“Last year I got too excited, too early in some of the Grand Slams,” he said. “I was playing really well and getting to the quarters and semis and then getting injured in pretty much three out of four.”

The 75th-ranked Van de Zandschulp upset Djokovic in three sets at Indian Wells last year, but never looked like pulling off another shock.

The fourth seed wound back the clock with some phenomenal tennis in set one, securing the critical break in the fourth game after a mammoth 26-point rally.

He broke the Dutchman again on his opening serve in the second set and moved to 4-2, but it was a struggle, and he became noticeably more irritable.

At one point, he smacked a ball towards an advertising hoarding out of frustration and nearly hit a ball kid, quickly apologising.

Novak Djokovic had work on his foot during a medical timeout in set three after a tumble.

They exchanged breaks, and the set went to a tiebreak, where he proved the most resilient.

“A few points before, I almost saw the physio, I was planning to see him for my blisters,” he said of the fall where he appeared to turn his ankle.

“Thankfully, I managed a good fall, if you can say that. Things could’ve been really ugly in that moment.”

Djokovic has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 major titles since winning the US Open in 2023.

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Amanda Anisimova ramped up her Australian Open title charge with a 6-1, 6-4 beating of fellow American Peyton Stearns on Saturday to reach the last 16 in imperious fashion.

The fourth seed defied a Melbourne Park heatwave to run out a comfortable winner in 71 minutes in roasting sunshine.

The impressive 24-year-old will play either 13th-seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic or China’s Wang Xinyu for a place in the quarter-finals.

Anisimova enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, reaching finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and is aiming to go one better in 2026

“Super-hot today,” Anisimova said in her on-court interview, which she conducted wrapped in an ice towel.

“I had a lot of fun today playing in front of you guys, especially a lot of American supporters.”

Anisimova steamrollered the 68th-ranked Stearns in the first set at Margaret Court Arena.

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The 24-year-old Stearns held up the victory charge in the second set as Anisimova wobbled on her serve.

The world number four looked briefly rattled as Stearns won three games in a row after trailing 5-1.

It only delayed the inevitable, but not before Anisimova racked up a seventh double fault.

“We were just battling it out there at the end,” said Anisimova, who is yet to drop a set in three matches at the first major of the season.

She defeated Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2 in her opener and dismissed Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 in round two.

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Giantkiller Iva Jovic has credited “kind and attentive” Novak Djokovic for helping her make a splash at the Australian Open, with the 18-year-old taking tips from the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100, stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini on Friday to make the last 16.

It was the biggest scalp of her burgeoning career, and Serbian great Djokovic, who is 20 years her senior, had a hand in it.

“Actually, I spoke to Novak a little bit. So it was pretty incredible,” said Jovic.

“He gave me some very attentive tips for my game and something I can try to incorporate into this match that I just played.

“So that was one of the things at the forefront of my mind because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it.”

Asked what advice he gave her, Jovic replied: “It was just to open up the court a little bit better, to not rush into the shots all the time, find some more width.

“So I tried to do that, and it ended well. So I’m just going to try to keep listening to Novak.”

While Jovic is American, her father is from Serbia and her mother from Croatia.

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She is still closely connected to her roots, visiting Serbia annually, both the capital of Belgrade and the southern town of Leskovac, where she has extended family.

It makes the link to Novak Djokovic a natural one, but also one Jovic finds “pretty insane”.

“You always think about those moments where you’re going to meet your idols a little bit, and I think sometimes for certain people it can be a little bit deflating if they are maybe not as nice or as open as you anticipated,” she said.

“But he’s almost even kinder and even more attentive outside the cameras than what he’s portrayed. It was amazing.

“I mean, he’s so intelligent and smart and really wants to help the younger generation. So I’m really grateful to have that advice.

“Hopefully, I’ll speak with him more and listen to his advice. ”

Iva Jovic claimed her maiden title in 2025 at Guadalajara and started the year in sizzling form, making the semi-finals in Auckland and the final at Hobart.

Seeded 29 in Melbourne, she will play Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

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