Australian Open 2026: Injured Carlos Alcaraz Beats Alexander Zverev In A 5-Set Thriller To Seal Maiden Finals Berth

Carlos Alcaraz sealed a first ever Australian Open final berth in a semi-final match for the ages on Friday in Melbourne Park. The 22-year-old Spaniard battled injury to prevail in the longest semi-final clash in the history of the Grand Slam to book a ticket to the summit clash on Sunday.

Alcaraz was two sets up before Zverev mounted a comeback making the most of Carlos' fitness. However, the World No.3 miraculously pulled through the tie break to set up a potential clash with either Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner.

In the testing Melbourne heat, Alcaraz was in a commanding position at two sets up before his body began to fail him just two games from victory. The Spaniard struggled with cramps and vomited as he struggled to move and commit on court.

The world No.1 drew on all his mental and physical reserves to prevail 6-4 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-7(4) 7-5 and become the youngest player to reach all four major finals in the Open era. It was the longest Australian Open semifinal contested and the third-longest match at Melbourne Park, lasting a total of five-hours and 27-minutes.

Two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner or 10-time champion Novak Djokovic stand between him and a seventh Grand Slam trophy on Sunday. If he can defeat Sinner or Djokovic in Sunday’s final, Alcaraz will break countryman Rafael Nadal's record for the youngest player to complete a career slam.

History suggests that world No. 1s have often thrived at the Australian Open, a precedent that Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to uphold as he sits one win from his maiden Melbourne crown. Alcaraz has reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne in each of the past two seasons. Should the Spaniard go all the way to the title, he would join Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal as the only players to be World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings at the time of their first Australian Open trophy.