The 2026 Australian Open looked set to be an all-choke tournament with the top four seeds all advancing to the semi-finals, but No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Yannick Ciner seemed destined to meet in the final for a fourth consecutive Grand Slam.
But in Melbourne on Friday, both were pushed to the brink as world No. 3 Alexander Zverev pushed Alcaraz 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a five-set thriller, while world No. 4 Novak Djokovic shocked Sinner in an instant classic (3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4). Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic’s win was the most notable, but statistically he should have been blown away by the defending Australian Open champion. Nothing about the box score for this match suggests that Djokovic should have won, with Sinner scoring more points (152 to 140), hitting more winners (72 to 40), more aces (26 to 12), and even had unforced errors (42 to 42).
But the crafty 38-year-old veteran did what he has done many times in his career, dragging the match into a quagmire and forcing him into points, frustrating Sinner and making it impossible for the Italian to take full control.
This was most evident in Djokovic’s serve, where he was able to dig deep and deliver his best even when his back was against the wall. Sinner only had two of 18 break point chances in the match against Djokovic, but the veteran continued to find shots when he had to hold serve on.
Sinner, on the other hand, only had eight break chances throughout the match, but Djokovic capitalized on those chances and won three of them, which was enough to get him over the line. While Sinner’s streak of reaching five consecutive Grand Slam finals has come to an end, Djokovic is currently on the precipice of history, aiming for his 11th Australian Open title and 25th career Grand Slam title.
To get there, he needs to beat another young star at the top of men’s tennis.
Alcaraz beats Zverev in 5-hour marathon
Break points were also important in the match, with Alcaraz taking five hours and 27 minutes to send Zverev out in the semi-final. Zverev only broke Alcaraz’s serve twice (out of seven break point chances), but the German served well and was able to fight back after Alcaraz jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first two sets.
The second, third, and fourth sets all ended in tie-breaks, and Zverev’s serving power helped him win the third and fourth sets in the tie-breaks. But in the fifth set, Alcaraz’s incredible stamina was on display in the biggest moment of the match, as he pounced on a break chance and hit a stunning forehand on the run to force Zverev’s error at the net and win 6-5.
It was the perfect ending for Alcaraz, who created a magical shot just as his opponent seemed to have him against the ropes. And now he heads to his first ever Australian Open final.
Historic Australian Open final set
Sunday’s final will pit a six-time Grand Slam champion against a team that has won 24 times, with both players expected to win in a grueling five-set match that will test everything they have.
Some might think that would give the young Alcaraz an advantage, but given the way Djokovic has avoided raindrops this tournament, the young Spaniard will need to bring his A-game and put Djokovic in a deep hole early on. If the Serbian star is left alone, he could find himself in the same position as Sinner, wondering how Djokovic achieved his victory.
If Alcaraz succeeds on Sunday, he will become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam and the first man under the age of 23 to win seven Grand Slam titles. Meanwhile, at 38 years old, Djokovic becomes the second-oldest Grand Slam champion in history and the oldest in the Open era. If Joker wins her 25th title, she will break her tie with Margaret Court and become the most won Grand Slam player, male or female, in history.
If the match is anything like what we saw in the semi-finals, it will be the best ever in Melbourne. We will have to wait and see how both players recover from two mentally and physically exhausting matches, but given that both players have built their careers on incredible stamina, it will be expected that they will make the most of what they have in store to find their elite level again on Sunday.
