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MELBOURNE, Australia – Serbian Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title by defeating Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in four sets of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday. quarter-finals of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Djokovic went through the gamut of emotions to reach the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for a 12th time in his career.
“I just wish this match was the final,” Djokovic said. This is one of the most epic matches I have played on this pitch. On any terrain. »
The action did not stop, the shots were magnificent and the confrontation lasted more than three and a half hours. At one point in the fourth set, there was a 33-shot rally, the longest of the night, that caused hysteria at Rod Laver Arena and denied Djokovic a break to take a 5-point lead. 2.
This will only have the effect of delaying the final result.
In his 50th career major tournament semi-final on Friday, Djokovic will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who won 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6 -1 at the expense of the American Tommy Paul.
In the other upcoming men’s quarter-finals, the Italian Jannik Sinner, the tournament favorite, will face the Australian Alex de Minaur (no. 8), while the American Ben Shelton (no. 21) will face the Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
This was the eighth duel between Djokovic and Alcaraz, but the first at the Australian Open. This was also the first match between the two men that was not a semi-final or final of a tournament.
-Zverev (No. 2) had to save a set point in each of the first two sets, but he then dominated the tiebreakers.
The 27-year-old German has appeared in two Grand Slam finals, but has never made it this far to Melbourne.
Zverev needed three match points – one on Paul’s serve and two on his own – to clinch the victory, which he secured with an ace.
Paul (no. 12), semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2023, had won his two previous duels against Zverev, but the two men were facing each other for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament.
“To be honest, I should have been down two sets to zero,” Zverev said. He played better than me. I wasn’t playing well and he was. I won the first round, somehow, I won the second, I don’t know how, and miraculously found myself in the semi-final. »
He said Djokovic’s duel with Alcaraz was “probably the most memorable match of the tournament.”
“They are two of the best players to ever touch a tennis racket,” Zverev said. It’s a clash of generations. »
