Key events
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 1-1 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Zverev gets the ball in his hands, looking to provide a tone setting first service of the third set and making a good start towards these efforts by firing a 204 km/h ace down the T.
A lengthy baseline exchange ends with Alcaraz dragging a forehand just wide and while an unforced error from Zverev gives the Spaniard a point, he moves back into the ascendency with a huge forehand winner.
A ridiculous exchange of volleys, drop shots, lions, tigers, and bears ands with Zverev putting the ball out. But it doesn’t come back to haunt the German, as an unforced error from Alcaraz on the next point gives up the hold.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 1-0 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) Can Zverev stage a miracle? Well, he secures the first two points of the third set, only for Alcaraz to take the next two. The German earns a break point but Alcaraz gets in his bag of tricks once again to erase it: dragging Zverev forward with a drop shot, sneaking in behind it, and then securing a winner via a simple backhand volley.
Alcaraz forces a backhand volley to take the advantage and then secures the hold with an ace.
Carlos Alcaraz takes the second set in a tiebreak.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) Getting the mini-break at the exact moment he needed one, Alcaraz takes the second set and, with it, puts one foot in a first-ever Australian Open final. It’s really hard to see Zverev coming back from two sets to love down.
The German steps up to serve first – the big server maybe at an advantage in the tiebreak? – and goes ahead when Alcaraz sends a backcourt backhand long. Alcaraz moves Zverev around on his first serve and then takes the next point with a backhand volley at the net and then holds serve when Zverev sends a return long.
Back-to-back errors from the Spaniard as he attempts to return sees Zverev hold serve, a feat which is matched by Alcaraz thanks to a backhand drop shot winner that leaves his opponent scrambling and a backhand cross-court winner after dragging Zverev forward.
A serve-and-volley combination by the German allows him to force an error and answer back, and he then moves ahead when a long rally is broken up by an Alcaraz backhand error.
Thus far, neither man has blinked while on serve in the tiebreak and the world number one continues that trend when he forces a forehand return error and, after seeing Zverev storming forward, cramp him enough to induce him to send a volleyed backhand wide.
Something has to give, surely! And yep, it does: Zverev desperately stretched as he’s moved around the backcourt and slice a forehand error off his racquet.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 6-6 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) Zverev takes as long as he’s able to on the change of ends – the type one diabetic needing to monitor his blood sugar levels – before the duo head back out there, over an hour now gone in this second set.
Looking to force a tiebreak, a big baseline backhand from Alcaraz secures the first point and a neat little serve-and-volley then grabs him the second. An unforced baseline error from Zverev puts the top seed into position for an easy hold to love and he takes it with a second serve ace. A tiebreak will be needed!
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 5-6 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) An eight shot rally breaks out on Zverev’s second serve, one ended when Alcaraz draws his opponent with a drop shot and then whips a passing forehand beyond him. Zverev responds with a 203 km/h serve down the T that Alcaraz can’t keep in, only for the Spaniard to prove able to get to a 209 km/h serve on the next point and start a rally that ends with Zverev sending a baseline forehand, with plenty of pace taken off it, into the net.
Two break points are then brought up when Alcaraz returns a 207 km/h serve and then constructs a point that allows him to get to the net and kiss a forehand winner away from the third seed.
Some patient but booming baseline work eventuates from Zverev as he looks to respond and, eventually, he’s rewarded when Alcaraz fires into the net. We’re then sent to deuce when, with both players showing signs of fatigue, the German fires an ace down the T.
Alcaraz sends a forehand return long to surrender the advantage but restores the game back to deuce with a passing backhand that Zverev has no chance of reaching. The German moves into the advantage again when he sends a serve wide and Alcaraz lifts his forehand return long and then sees off the breaks and secures the hold when he quickly responds to a drop shot attempt and blasts an overhead winner behind Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 5-5 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) After doing the hard work to get the break back, Alcaraz now steps up looking to keep this set going with a hold. And things start well in this quest as he takes the first points, inducing Zverev into a racquet change.
The new tools do the job on their first point, just keeping a looping forehand return in and giving Alcaraz the opportunity to commit an unforced forehand error to drop the point. Only they don’t go so well on the next one, Zverev slicing a backhand attempt just out.
The hold is subsequently locked up with an aggressive serve-and-forehand combination.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 4-5 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Zverev steps up, looking to use that big ole’ serve of his to even things up at a set apiece. Nope.
The first point doesn’t go to plan, Zverev sending a backhand into the net, and neither does the second, the German lifting a baseline forehand long, long, long.
Zverev gets on the board when a well-placed backhand stretches Alcaraz and induces a forehand into the net but he can’t build on that: whiffing a forehand from the baseline into the net to give up two break points.
A big booming serve gets Alcaraz moving to his right in a hurry and unable to keep a return in. Alcaraz, though, steps up when the pressure is on, constructing a point that sees Zverev finally send a backhand into the net and surrender the break.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 3-5 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) A forced and an unforced error, the latter at the end of a 13-shot rally, move Alcaraz ahead as he looks to hold serve and keep the second set alive. But Zverev then gets on the board with an unforced baseline backhand error from the top seed.
A booming forehand return on second serve gets Alcaraz out of shape and he sends a backhand into the net but a long and high backhand return goes long – drawing a groan of frustration from Zverev – and puts the Spaniard in position to hold by moving Zverev left, getting to the net, and guiding a forehand winner right.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 2-5 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) New balls are delivered, just in time for the big serving German to blast down an ace. Both players send baseline shots long, moving Zverev ahead to 30-15 before it’s tied up when the third seed attempts a serve-and-volley but puts the latter shot out.
Some great movement from Zverev sees him get to the net and guide a forehand winner out of Alacaraz’s (lengthy) range and break is consolidated when the top seed sends a forehand return long.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 2-4 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) Zverev drives a forehand down the line and takes the opening point when Alcaraz can’t get his return back over the net. It’s then 0-30 when a backhand error from the baseline sees the top seed fall further behind. An opening?
It is an opening! Three break points are brought up by the German when Alcaraz’s circus shots are met by Zverev in kind and the Spaniard produces an error. The first of those are seen off when Zverev can’t return serve and the second when Alcaraz gets forward and sends down an overhead smash.
But on second serve, the break comes when Alcaraz opts to run around Zverev’s off-balance return and sends an unforced forehand error long.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 2-3 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Wow! Alcaraz is here, there, and everywhere as Zverev moves him around the court, before finally being put away with a backhand sent behind him at the end of a 13-shot rally. A really good return levels things up but Zverev moves back ahead with a serve Alcaraz can’t return.
Alcaraz sends a baseline forehand return into the net to fall behind 40-15 and Zverev sees him off with an ace.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 2-2 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) As we move past an hour played, some audacious tennis from both men get forward, before Alcaraz ultimately takes the point with a backhand winner. Oohs and ahhs from the crowd after that one.
A much more anticlimactic double fault – Alcaraz’s second of the match – levels things but an unreturnable serve then restores the advantage. A booming forehand winner puts the top seed into a position for a straightforward hold but he sends a backhand into the net on the next point.
But it’s a temporary setback, as Alcaraz demonstrates sublime control as he bends a forehand just over the net to cheekily claim the hold.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 1-2 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Zverev gets to the net and while Alcaraz keeps the point alive longer than he has any right to, he can’t chase down a backhand winner. An unreturnable serve moves the third seed further ahead but he’s pegged back to 30-15 when his attempt to dig out a baseline backhand lifts just long.
A big 199 km/h serve fools Alcaraz and he can’t make any kind of proper contact with his return and a much more straightforward hold is secured when a powerful serve sets the scene for a point in which he gets to the net and smashes down an overhead winner.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 1-1 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) The chair umpire looks a bit perturbed when Alcaraz is forced to pause for a moment as Zverev chats with his team.
The German then moves ahead on the game’s first serve, only for Alcaraz to send down an unreturnable serve to level it. Alcaraz forces Zverev back to the wall and takes the next point after the German’s return of an overhead smash just can’t clear the net and then moves to 40-15 after his foes drags a shot wide.
Alcaraz gets to the net to try and claim the quick hold but a cheekily magnificent passing forehand from the baseline gives the point to Zverev. We the head for another deuce when the top seed sends a backhand long.
A long forehand ends a brief baseline exchange and gives the advantage to Alcaraz, which he takes when he gets to the net and watches as Zverev sends a lob beyond the baseline.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 0-1 6-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Well. That first game took a while.
The pair exchange points to open the second set, before Zverev moves ahead with a big ace whipped across the face of Alcaraz. The Spaniard responds by getting to the net on the next point and guiding a forehand winner behind Zverev and then whips down a fantastic, fully-extended forehand down the line in the next exchange that Zverev sends long.
The early break point is seen off by Zverev and he then takes the advantage when Alcaraz gets underneath a forehand and goes long to end an extended baseline rally.
Another double fault erases said advantage – Zverev looking at his team and strings after – but his next serve is hooked wide on the return by Alcaraz. The hold should have been secured when a big serve sees Alcaraz loop up a return, only for the German’s overhead smash to sail long but he gets another chance with a big serve down the T that can’t be returned.
Yet again, though, Alcaraz survives and we’re off to a fourth deuce when Zverev just sends a forehand long. A long backhand return gives the third seed yet another chance for the hold but again he can’t take it: Alcaraz firing down a big backhand winner for deuce number five.
Zverev gets forward and whips a forehand behind Alcaraz to bring up another chance to hold. Surely, this time yeah? YES! A big serve gets away from the top seed, whose return shoots high and wide.
Alcaraz takes the first set 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 6-4 Alexander Zverev (3) Alcaraz quickly moves ahead 30-0, Zverev’s frustration simmering in his demeanour as he does. A forehand return is sent very long by the German to bring up three set points and Alcaraz only needs one: Zverev committing a sloppy unforced error to surrender the hold to love and the first set.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 5-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) The first break of the game arrives, and it goes the way of the top seed!
Some sort of flying insect disturbs Zverev between his first and second serves and he ends up double faulting. A backhand return sent long levels things and Alcaraz ends a four-shot exchange by going long to fall behind. Alcaraz is visibly frustrated after the error, the tension in this tight match evident.
A big “¡vamos!” is let out by Alcaraz when Zverev goes long on the next point to make it 30-30 and the Spaniard’s good return on the next point is rwarded when Zverev sends a backhand into the net and brings up break point. Zverev then double faults! Big.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 4-4 Alexander Zverev (3) The first double fault of the match puts Alcaraz down a point, but an unforced and forced error from Zverev returns the initiative to the top seed.
Alcaraz forces Zverev deep and induces a backhand into the net to ease forward and then pushes a serve up into the third seed to force an error and secure the hold.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 3-4 Alexander Zverev* (3) Alcaraz goes long to put Zverev into the ascendency, which he builds upon with an ace sent down the T. An unforced backhand error into the net cuts the deficit and we’re back level when the third seed sends a backhand wide.
Alcaraz loops a return high, giving Zverev the chance to get up to the net but an incredible passing shot from the Spaniard lands just in and brings up the match’s first break point.
Zverev’s booming serve down the T can’t be returned and shuts that down, with an ace whipped across the court at a relatively slightly slower pace then giving him the advantage. An unforced backhand error then brings up the hold.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 3-3 Alexander Zverev (3) A 14-shot rally to open the game is brought to a conclusion when Alcaraz sends a forehand long. The Spaniard quickly bounces back, though, getting to the net after a Zverev shot bounces off it and observing an errant passing shot into the net.
Alcaraz then gets back ahead and whips down two strong serves that Zverev can’t return to take the hold.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 2-3 Alexander Zverev* (3) Zverev’s commanding serve forges his second-straight hold to love: the German inducing four straight errors as he builds what the callers are calling “a good foundation”.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 2-2 Alexander Zverev (3) Zverev can’t get a proper handle on a forehand return and lots it wide, moving Alcaraz ahead. That’s repeated on the next exchange, only this time the third seed sends his attempted return long instead of wide.
A much-better placed return forces Alcaraz super wide and unable to return his forehand on the next point but the Spaniard responds by constructing a point that ends with him driving a proper-looking backhand down the line.
Leading 40-15, he quickly gets to the net after his next serve and watches on as an attempted passing shot from a stretching Zverev goes wide.
Zverev is landing 60% of his first serves across his opening two service games. He landed 85% when he beat Alcaraz here in Melbourne a few years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 1-2 Alexander Zverev* (3) Alcaraz can’t return another big Zverev serve and falls behind. A brief baseline exchange then ends with Alcaraz going long with a forehand, followed by another in which his backhand attempt goes long. Zverev then secures the hold with a big serve-and-forehand conversation that’s blasts beyond reach.
Carlos Alcaraz* (1) 1-1 Alexander Zverev (3) Alcaraz gets things underway with an ace and then moves further ahead when Zverev sends his forehand return long. A brief baseline exchange concludes with the third seed sending a backhand into the net and while Alcaraz makes a couple of errors to give his opponent a sniff, he’s got the buffer he needs to secure the hold with another ace, this one thundered down the T.
Alcaraz vs Zverev is underway
Carlos Alcaraz (1) 0-1 Alexander Zverev* (3) A big opening serve from Zvereve (expect anything else) is sent down the T and Alcaraz can’t return it. A short baseline exchange then results from Zverev’s second serve, ending when the German sends a backhand long and Alcaraz gets on the board.
Another big serve, this one going wide, forces a forehand error to move the third seed back ahead and he’s then able to get to the net on second serve and whip down a backhand winner to move further clear.
A baseline backhand error keeps the top seed in the game but the Spaniard sends a forehand long to give up the hold.
One minute until this semifinal gets underway. Alcaraz won the toss and will receive. ‘Mon.
Fashion Files update: Alcaraz has switched thing up after the quarterfinals, going back to wearing his lime green sleeveless top and pairing it with his white and lime green shorts and shoes. Suspect is hatless, repeat, hatless.
Zverev is in the same gear he wore in seeing off Learner Tien (25): an orange headband, white t-shirt, black shorts, and white shoes.
As dramatic lighting and movie trailer music covers the court, both players are making their way through the very snazzy player’s tunnel that leads to Rod Laver Arena.
Their entrances done, the roof now begins to open.
Currently plying his trade across the road with Melbourne Victory – and increasingly ripping the A-League Men to shreds – former Spanish World Cup winner Juan Mata has been spotted in Novak Djokovic’s (4) box in Melbourne. Mayhaps he’ll pop up in Alcaraz’s after seeing this display.
It won’t surprise anyone to learn that Zverev is leading the Australian Open in aces so far, firing down 80 in his five matches.
Flashback to 2024, when Zverev defeated Alcaraz in four sets to advance to the semifinals of the Australian Open.
How did these two get here?
Carlos Alcaraz (1) has yet to drop a set on his way to the final four and has been getting noticeably better in every game: seeing off Alex de Minaur (6), Tommy Paul (19), Corentin Moutet (32), Yannick Hanfmann, and Adam Walton on his road here.
He hasn’t had to go five – we’ve only had two five-set matches in the second week of a Grand Slam since the start of 2025 – but Alexander Zverev (3) for his part has seen off an opponent in straight sets just once on his road to the semfinals, doing so against Francisco Cerundolo (18) in the fourth round.
Elsewhere, he’s been challenged by Learner Tien (25), Cameron Norrie (26), Alexandre Muller, and Gabriel Diallo but emerged victorious every time.
In case you didn’t see it, yesterday’s play saw the women’s singles finals locked in: Elena Rybakina (5) seeing off an attempted fightback from Jess Pegula (6) to secure her third grand slam final appearance and set up a date with Aryna Sabalenka (1), who earlier that evening got past Elina Svitolina (12) in straight sets.
And in case you didn’t hear it, Sabalenka was none-too-pleased with a hindrance call that went against her early on in the match after she let loose with an unusual, late grunt.
It promises to be a good final: the two staging battles in the past – Rybakina beating Sabalenka in Riyadh last year – and the Kazakhstani one of the few players on the tour that can slug it out with the world number one from the back of the court.
And… well… on the subject of cameras backstage, footage from behind the scenes at Rod Laver shows both Carlos Alcaraz (1) and Alexander Zverev (3) going through their final warm-ups before heading out onto the court.
Tumaini Carayol has also taken a look at the growing discussions born from Coco Gauff (3) smashing her racquet in what she thought was a secluded area at Olympic Park after her quarterfinal loss – one pitching player privacy against the increasing access is demanded in a world in which content is king.
Novak Djokovic has insisted that he will not “walk out with a white flag” as he prepares for his latest battle with one of the ATP’s dominant top two in a grand slam semi-final, this time against the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday in Melbourne.
Tumaini Carayol takes a look at how Novak Djokovic (4) – whose remarkable journey to the final four has come without him winning a set since the third round – is seeking to do something remarkable against Jannik Sinner (2) later tonight.
A title has been decided on Rod Laver Arena already today, with Australian wildcard duo Olivia Gadecki and John Peers going-back-to-back by defeating French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard to win the mixed doubles.
We won’t need to worry about any heat-enforced stoppages today, but the mercury has climbed a tad higher on this Friday afternoon in Melbourne than yesterday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says we’re currently sitting at 27.6°C – 81°F in freedom units – and are forecast for a top of 29°C – 84.2°F for the Americans – today. Short of some kind of mammoth, five-set epic it will stay that way throughout this contest, too, the temperature not projected to drop until 6pm this evening.
Preamble
Joey Lynch
Howdy all, ya boi Joey Lynch back again and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the afternoon session of day 13 at the Australian Open. And wowee, we’re in for a good one this arvo.
As while Novak Djokovic (4) and Jannik Sinner (2) are set to lock horns in the night session later today I’ll be bringing you all the action as Carlos Alcaraz (1) and Alexander Zverev (3) do battle on Rod Laver Arena in the hours ahead. And while this year’s tournament – on the men’s and women’s side of things – hasn’t exactly been overflowing with shocks, we should at least be in for some good tennis.
Indeed, most are expecting ‘Alcasinner’ to advance through to a fourth-straight Grand Slam final today – Alcaraz sandwiching wins at the French Open and US Open around Sinner’s triumph at Wimbledon – but with fitness of Djokovic under a cloud, it’s Zverev that is considered the more likely of upsetting the applecart.
The German’s mammoth serve and baseline game has given Alcaraz problems in the past, the two meeting twelve times previously and evenly splitting the series. And if experience counts for anything at this stage, he’s fully fit, defeated Alcaraz in Melbourne in 2024, and is looking to advance through to a second straight final Down Under. The world number one, meanwhile, has never before made it past the ‘Happy Slam’s’ quarterfinals.
Accused of being too passive in the biggest moments in the past – Zverev has lost all three Grand Slam finals he’s competed in, notably against Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open – he emphasised his focus on bringing greater aggression when needed after seeing off Learner Tien (25) in the quarterfinals, of the belief that success will come if he keeps it up.
Nonetheless, the third seed getting up here would be considered a significant upset. Addressing concerns around his concentration, Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a set on his way through to the final four and has paired that with the virtuoso-like shot-making and movement that has brought him to the brink of becoming the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
The manner in which he swept aside Alex de Minaur (6) in the quarterfinals was almost frightening, simply turning on the jets and blowing past the Australia, and if he can keep those levels today, it’s hard to see him being beaten.
But predictions like that and five bucks will (barely, these days) get you a cup of coffee, so let’s strap in for some tennis.
