Australian Open: Novak Djokovic crossed Carlos Alcaraz hurdle in bid to win 25th grand slam

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic produced a statement quarterfinal win at the Australian Open, where he overcame rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in an epic battle which lasted for three-hour, 37-minute. The Serbian is a 10-time Australian Open champion and has been a dominant force at the hard-court event since he lifted his first major in Melbourne Park in 2008.

Djokovic received a medical timeout at 4-5 in the first set and returned with his upper left leg taped but did not let the issue get the better of him. Standing in his way of an 11th Australian Open final is Alexander Zverev after the German defeated Tommy Paul in four sets earlier on Tuesday.

“I want to express my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos, everything he stands for, and what he has achieved so far in his career. What a terrific guy he is, and an even better competitor. Youngest ever No. 1 in the world, has four Grand Slams, and I’m sure we are going to see a lot of him.

“Maybe not as much as I would like, but he is going to be there for sure longer than me. I just wish this match today was the final, honestly. It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview.

However, the third seed could not quite find the answers against a pumped-up Djokovic, who has now won all three of the pair’s hard-court meetings. The Serbian struggled with his movement at times in the opener and he was less aggressive in the first set, striking three winners compared to 13 from Alcaraz according to Infosys Stats.

The highlight of the game came in the third set when Djokovic won a mammoth rally, which saw both players charge from side to side inside Rod Laver Arena. The Serbian let out a roar after taking a two-sets-to-one lead before he rode momentum in the fourth set to pull further clear.

Djokovic is the third man in the Open Era to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open aged 37 or older, joining Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer. The former No.1 player in the ATP Rankings struggled to find his top level at the majors in 2024, with his victory against World No. 3 Alcaraz his first against a Top 10 player at a Slam since 2023, when he overcame Daniil Medvedev to capture his 24th major at the US Open.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev secured a thrilling 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 victory over Tommy Paul on Tuesday for his third Australian Open semifinal. The German saved a set-point in both of the first two sets and denied Paul’s attempts to serve them out on Rod Laver Arena. Despite a strong comeback from Paul in the third set, Zverev responded with a dominant fourth to seal the win.

Zverev claimed his first victory in three meetings with Paul, largely thanks to his sharp play in the key moments. The German capitalised on crucial errors by Paul late in the opening two sets, taking full advantage of second chances. In the first set, the competitors exchanged breaks from 5-5, with Zverev saving a set point at 6-5 on Paul’s serve before dominating the tie-break.

In the second set, Paul broke early but faltered, hitting three consecutive forehand errors, which allowed Zverev to break back and later save another set point at 4-5. Zverev then won 11 straight points, sealing the set 7-0 in a tie-break after holding serve at 5-6.

The match was a back-and-forth affair, with both players broken four times, but Zverev took control in the final set. Though Paul fought off two break points to avoid a 6-0 scoreline, Zverev eventually wrapped up the match 6-1.

With his 30th Australian Open win, Zverev surpassed Boris Becker to set the all-time record for most singles victories by a German man at the event. (IANS)

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