World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz made it to his first-ever Australian Open Final, defeating third seed Alexander Zverev in a 5-hour-long game on Friday. The Spaniard fought through cramps and a tense five-set battle to beat Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5. Alcaraz will face the winner of the second semi-final, between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Spaniard came back from a break down in the deciding set, underlining his mental strength on the biggest stage. With this result, Alcaraz has now reached the finals of all four Grand Slams in his career, having already made and won finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
ABSOLUTE CINEMA 🎬
Alcaraz moves into his first AO final after a five set
epic lasting 5 hours 27 minutes against Zverev! @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/zdBB3yHcxt
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2026
Alcaraz scripted history by becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the final of all four majors, breaking a record previously held by Jim Courier since 1993. Alcaraz now has a chance to go one step further on Sunday, as a win in Melbourne would see him become the youngest player ever to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz seemed to be staring at a shock exit after a scary moment at 4-4 in the third set, when he pulled up in visible pain due to what appeared to be cramp. He received treatment during the changeover, a move that left Zverev furious, as medical timeouts are not allowed solely for cramping.
Although the Spaniard continued, his movement was clearly restricted and he went on to lose his first set of the tournament. However, after taking pickle juice, Alcaraz dug deep and kept fighting. Even while far from fully fit, he showed remarkable resolve, clawing back from a breakdown in the deciding fifth set as the crowd urged him on, leaving Zverev heartbroken.
“Believing all the time,” Alcaraz, who is into his eighth major final and fourth in a row, said of how he got 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. Basically, it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career,” he added.
