Carlos Alcaraz produced one of the gutsiest wins of his career – and then denied bending the rules to seek medical treatment.
The world number one battled through physical struggles and staged a fifth-set fightback to beat Alexander Zverev in an epic Australian Open semi-final lasting five hours and 27 minutes.
Alcaraz looked to be cruising on Rod Laver Arena at two sets to love up, only to suffer what appeared to be a bout of cramp late in the third set.
ABSOLUTE CINEMA 🎬
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2026
Alcaraz moves into his first AO final after a five set epic lasting 5 hours 27 minutes against Zverev! @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/zdBB3yHcxt
His hopes of becoming the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam were in serious jeopardy when Zverev levelled the contest and led 5-3 in the decider, but Alcaraz showed what makes him such a special talent by pulling off a 6-4 7-6 (5) 6-7 (3) 6-7 (4) 7-5 victory.
The medical timeout he took at 5-4 in the third set became a huge talking point, with cramp considered a loss of condition rather than an injury and treatment only permitted within the time of the changes of ends.
Zverev was furious and was heard intimating to supervisor Andreas Egli that he believes Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner receive preferential treatment.
The German stepped back from the controversy in his press conference, saying: “I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision. I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this is one of the best battles there ever was in Australia. It doesn’t deserve to be the topic now.”
Alcaraz insisted he thought he had an injury when he called the trainer.
“In the beginning it was on just one muscle, so I didn’t think it was cramp at all,” he said.
“I didn’t know exactly what it was because I just go around to a forehand and then I started to feel it in the right adductor, so that’s why I called the physio. I just told what happens to the physio and he decides to take the medical.”
Conditions were hot on Friday, peaking at 29.8C, but nothing like they had been last weekend, when Sinner appeared to have been saved by the closing of the roof against Eliot Spizzirri when he was stricken by cramp.
Alcaraz engineered an escape in the second set having been 5-2 down and the first evidence of his physical struggles came midway through the third when he appeared to vomit into a towel.
In the ninth game, he began stretching and massaging his right thigh but was still two points from victory at 6-5, with Zverev thrown by the sudden turn of events.
The third seed, whose quest for a maiden slam title goes on, managed to come through the tie-break and then did the same in a fourth set where Alcaraz was still far from his best.
A break of serve for Zverev at the start of the decider put the Spaniard in even deeper trouble, but Alcaraz has only lost one five-set match in his career and he took advantage of passive play from his opponent, who was also feeling the pace by this point, to reel off four games in a row.
When a final forehand proved too much for Zverev, Alcaraz lay flat on his back and he must now hope he has enough time to fully recover for Sunday’s final.
The Spaniard, who is the youngest man in the open era to reach all four slam finals, credited his determination to always believe a comeback is possible for the fifth-set turnaround.
He said: “Physically it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career.
“But I’ve been in these kind of situations so I knew what I had to do. I had to put my heart into the match. I did it, I fought until the last ball.”
Speaking later in his press conference, the 22-year-old added: “When I was younger, there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or just I gave up. Then I got mature and I just hate that feeling.
“Every step more, every just one second more of suffering, one second more of fighting, is always worth it.”
Zverev’s major source of regret was the second set, when he failed to press home his advantage.
“I didn’t play a good game serving for it,” he said. “Funny enough, I don’t have many regrets in the fifth set, because I was hanging on for dear life. I was exhausted.”
