Australian Open 2026 LIVE: Carlos Alcaraz beats Zverev in the longest AO semi-final to book a ticket to his maiden final
Carlos Alcaraz reached the Australian Open 2026 final after a historic five-set semi-final victory over Alexander Zverev, marked as the longest in tournament history.
Last Updated: 05.30 PM, Jan 30, 2026
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev brought back the golden era of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic as the Spaniard clawed his way into his first Australian Open final after a historic five-set match in the Australian Open 2026 semi-finals. No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated 5th seed Alexander Zverev by 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5. Apart from winning the longest semifinal in tournament history, Carlos also became the youngest man in the Open era to reach the final of all four Grand Slams.
With this win, he is now just one match away from becoming the youngest career slam winner in tennis history. Carlos will face either Jannik Sinner or the legendary Novak Djokovic, who is also aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title.
A dominant start met a physical wall
For the first two sets, the story was obvious. Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one tennis player, looked invincible. Alcaraz dictated the tempo of the match with a supreme mix of raw power, finish, and skill. The Spaniard took a two-set lead and looked just a few minutes away from entering the final.
However, after the first two sets, Carlos Alcaraz started betraying him. And this is where the big guy in Alexander Zverev made a comeback. That kept everyone at the Melbourne Park on their toes, along with all the global fans watching on online platforms or television.
During the third set, Alcaraz began clutching his upper right leg, visibly hampered by severe cramping. The statistical drop-off was staggering:
The heart of a Champion
With a match tied on 2-2, Alexander Zverev got the upper hand when he secured an early break in the fifth set, and suddenly, he was serving for the match.
But just like his idol Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz refused to give up, drawing the energy from a from Rod Laver in a crowd. Alcaraz summoned a final desperate search for an adrenaline rush to keep the hope of his fans alive.
“I had to put my heart into the match,” Alcaraz said afterward. “Physically, it was one of the most demanding matches I have ever played... but I've been in these situations before. I knew I had to stay patient and just believe in myself no matter what.”
The Spaniard’s resilience paid off as he broke back while Zverev served for the match, ultimately rattling off four straight games to clinch the win.
Zverev’s near-miss
Just like every other sporting event, one had to win, and the other one had to lose.
For Alcaraz, it was one of his biggest wins, and for Zverev, the loss is a bitter pill to swallow. Having not recovered from two sets down since 2022, the German tennis star showed immense mental strength to force a fifth set against the world's number one.
However, it was Alcaraz's relentless power and zeal to climb back to the top post him back and eventually proved to be influential for the result.