Carlos Alcaraz took revenge on Alexander Zverev on Friday, his conqueror in the quarter-finals of 2024, and is the first finalist of the 2026 Australian Open. The Spaniard defeated Zverev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4) and 7-5, in five hours and 27 minutes, and will be in the final with the question of how he will respond physically after the episode of cramps suffered from the third set onwards. A right-handed passing shot to the limit gave him the deserved glory.Sascha had reached the semifinals showing ups and downs in his matches. He had dropped four sets along the way, and this point of mental fragility weighed on him in the points that decide victories.
Alcaraz has no rivals on the circuit and not among the members of the elite. He has won the head-to-head with all the top 10 except for Novak Djokovic (5-4 for the Serb). Novak or Jannik Jannik Sinner are the last obstacle to complete the ‘Grand Slam’, at 22 years and 272 days. Probably the most valuable precocity record in tennis history. He already holds the record for youngest number one.It must be difficult to be Zverev and know that, with the exception of your team, everyone wants you to lose. That’s what it felt like on Friday at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
The temperature was perfect for tennis: sunny and 26 degrees, with a slight breeze. Zverev, as expected, looked untouchable on serve. A backhand pass from the catacombs gave the Spaniard the first break point. The German saved it with a 216 kilometre per hour shot. That makes things easier.
Alcaraz could smell blood and Sascha felt so much pressure on his serve that two double faults in the ninth game cost him the opening set. Gifts are always welcome, although the best tennis player on the planet does not need them.
Time wasting
The Hamburg tennis player’s doubts were so great that they conditioned his staging of the ball. The chair umpire had no choice but to signal a warning
The spectacle forced the spectators to stand up. With the Spaniard, the show is guaranteed. Zverev, like a silent assassin, returned to the scene with a 3-2 and 0-40. These were his first three break points. The third time was the charm for the German.
The score was 4-2 for him and then 5-2. At the moment of closing the set, his pulse trembled. This does not happen to the great players. It was a blow to the heart of Samuel Lopez’s pupil as the score was 5-4. He had started a comeback that would lead him to win the second set.Sascha was looking for culprits where there were none and went to change rackets. His rival enjoyed two balls of 6-5. Despite everything, the German made sure of the tiebreaker only to lose it afterwards.
Looking for shade and towels
The match was physically demanding andAlcaraz sought refuge in the shade whenever he could, as well went to dry himself with towels permanently.
Carlitos was suffering with the Australian summer and informed his bench that he had vomited in the seventh game of the third set. “I’ve vomited, I don’t know if I have to take something, I’m just telling you.”
Subsequently, he suffered cramps in both legs, which forced him to ask for the presence of the physiotherapist. “Breathes well,” his coach, Samuel Lopez, tells him. “We’ve got two sets.”
Pickle juice
With the tactic of the lame man, he made it to the second tiebreak. During the changes, the physio kept doing his job and the six-time Grand Slam champion drank pickle juice. The Hamburg tennis player narrowed the gap in the score
“Keep talking to yourself and hit your first serve. If you miss, you miss, but do it right,” Samu insisted to his player. Alcaraz, despite his physical problems and lack of mobility, had not lost his serve in the fourth set. Reaching the third tiebreak was the lesser of two evils, even if he ended up losing it.
The fifth set began with a break by Zverev that seemed to bring him closer to victory. Even more so when he shot the scoreboard to 3-1. The Spaniard had the chance to get back into the match at 3-2 and 3-3. The net spat out a well-hit forehand
Carlos Alcaraz kept believing and made the crowd believe by cheering on the crowd. He went back on the attack, with 4-3 and 0-30. He had two balls at 4-4. He who follows it gets it: 5-5. Three games in a row had ensured him a third tiebreaker. It was not necessary. He has won 15 of his last 16 five-set matches
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