Carlos Alcaraz fought through a leg issue to deliver a 6-4 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-7(4) 7-5 win over Alexander Zverev on Friday and reach his first Australian Open final, the Spaniard somehow managing to keep his career Grand Slam bid alive.
The 22-year-old looked concerned and was barely able to move after experiencing the issue at 4-4 in the third set, which he lost in a tiebreak, and he relied on his ball-striking and placement to land winners and prolong the contest.
Alcaraz continued to battle away, seeing off Zverev in the decider and will aim to recover for a meeting with either Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s title clash, where a victory will see him complete his set of majors.
No stranger to epic five-setters on the big stage after his French Open final win over Sinner last year, Alcaraz said belief was the key to prevailing in the longest Australian Open semi-final at five hours and 27 minutes.
“I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter what you’re struggling,” Alcaraz said.
“I was struggling in the middle of the third set. Physically it was one of the most demanding matches I have ever played in my short career, I would say.
“But, I’ve been in this kind of situation, this kind of match before. I had to put my heart into the match. I did it, I fought until the last ball… I’m extremely proud of the way that I fought, the way that I came back in the fifth set.”
After eight straight holds of serve on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz was gifted the opening break when Zverev produced a double fault, and the Spaniard won the next game to love and pocketed the opening set.
Zverev, who appeared unhappy with the tension in his racket strings at the end of the opening stanza, absorbed more pressure to hold in a 10-minute first game of the next and then built up a 5-2 lead as Alcaraz conceded several loose points.
But a backhand bullet helped Alcaraz break back in the ninth game, and the world number one went level in the next, before he dialled up the intensity in the tiebreak to double his lead.
The six-times Grand Slam champion then battled to 4-4 in the third set before starting to feel troubled by his right thigh.
Switching between big hitting and drop shots, Alcaraz went up 5-4 before taking a medical timeout, leaving a fuming Zverev to remonstrate with the supervisor that his opponent should not be allowed to receive treatment for cramp under the rules, though it was unclear what the leg issue was.
Alcaraz soldiered on, holding to go up 6-5 and taking a big swig of pickle juice before giving it his all in the ensuing tiebreak, but Zverev showed no mercy and pulled back a set.
With his movement slowly improving, Alcaraz pumped his fists to roaring applause after vital holds in the fourth set to force another tiebreak, where Zverev stepped up his serving game to ensure a deciding fifth set.
Third seed Zverev broke for an early lead but Alcaraz began to look like his usual self again as he chased down a drop shot at the net and pulled off a stunning winner at full stretch in the sixth game to give his fans hope.
Alcaraz finally broke in the 10th game as Rod Laver Arena shook, before sealing an epic win in the first five-sets match on centre court this year.
“I couldn’t be here right now doing this interview without you,” Alcaraz said, gesturing to the fans.
“I’m really grateful for the support that I got, not only in this match but also the whole tournament.
“I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final in Melbourne. It’s something I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.”
(Reuters)
