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Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins

Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins | iNFOnews.ca
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Australian Open final after each came through epic, momentum-swinging, five-set semifinals on Friday.

Top-ranked Alcaraz fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.

That pushed the start of Djokovic’s match against defending champion Jannik Sinner back a couple of hours and the 24-time major winner finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.

Djokovic is into his 11th Australian Open final after ending his streak of semifinal exits at four consecutive majors. Alcaraz is into his first title match at Melbourne Park, and aiming to be the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins | iNFOnews.ca
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangakra)
Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins | iNFOnews.ca
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is congratulated by Alexander Zverev, right, of Germany following their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangakra)
Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins | iNFOnews.ca
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Alcaraz and Djokovic to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins | iNFOnews.ca
Alexander Zverev of Germany waves as he leaves the court following his semifinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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The Associated Press

John Pye

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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