Carlos Alcaraz continued his quest for a career Grand Slam title with an emphatic 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 victory over local favorite Alex de Minaur to claim his first title at Melbourne Park.
World No. 1 Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals for the first time in his career with a stunning straight-sets victory.
The Spaniard has lost in each of his previous attempts to reach the last eight, including against Novak Djokovic 12 months ago, but it is unlikely to be the same this time around, with Alcaraz now two wins away from becoming the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam.
“I’m really happy with how I played every game,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really happy that my level has improved with each match. After the first match, (the team) told me to be patient. Today I felt really comfortable and played some great tennis.”
The 22-year-old traded luxury at Rod Laver Arena for efficiency in a bid to end De Minaur’s hopes of ending the 50-year wait for the first Australian to crown his country’s men’s champion at this tournament since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
The heat of the day had subsided enough to open the roof, but it was still 39 degrees at the start, but the occasional swirling wind affected the pair.
However, Alcaraz was better, especially on serve, and de Minaur was unable to land any meaningful strikes.
Six-time major champion Alcaraz broke de Minaur early to take a 3-0 lead, but his revised serve came under scrutiny when he faced three break points in the fifth game.
De Minaur relentlessly retrieved to break back to tie the score, then got another break in the ninth game and held the next game to the delight of the Center Court crowd, but a few loose points gave Alcaraz the lead in a thrilling first set.
Alcaraz started the second set the same way as the first, but the top seed wasn’t about to let his advantage slip away this time, hitting two jarring backhand crosscourt winners to take a 5-2 lead and take control of the match.
A dejected de Minaur gave up his serve early in the third set, but Alcaraz never looked back and won the match, securing a match against Zverev.
Speaking about the rematch with Zverev, Alcaraz said: “I’ve watched Sascha throughout the tournament and I know he’s playing great tennis. We have to be ready.”
“We practiced the week before the tournament and he played great tennis and beat me 7-6. It’s going to be a great battle. I’m really looking forward to playing against him here again and getting revenge.”
Henman: How do you compete with Alcaraz and Sinner?
Alcaraz and Sinner are the dominant force and steadfast presence in men’s tennis.
Six-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Tim Henman told TNT Sports:
“Isn’t this a predicament for the remaining 126 players in the draw? They have to step far out of their comfort zone when they face Alcaraz and Sinner.
“And they don’t have to keep it going for one set, they need to keep it going for three sets to win.
“That’s why this is so difficult and why Alcaraz and Sinner have been in the last eight Grand Slam finals.
“You’d be brave to bet on them these last two weeks.”
Zverev stays calm and sees off rising star Tien
Alexander Zverev beat American Lerner Tien in four sets to stay on course for a return to the Australian Open final.
Lerner Tien showed off his exciting talent before losing to third-seeded Zverev in his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
The 20-year-old American was aiming to become the youngest player to reach the last four in Melbourne in 34 years, but it was Zverev who won 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) to reach his first semi-final in 10 tournaments.
“The players played unbelievably from the baseline,” said an impressed Zverev. “I don’t think I’ve played with a player in a long time who plays this well from the baseline.
“I don’t know what Michael Chang did with him in the offseason, but it’s unbelievable. Without my 20-odd aces, we probably wouldn’t have won today.”
Tien’s rise has been rapid and accelerating, and his crowd-pleasing matches were well-received by the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, which was able to enjoy cool air conditioning after the roof was closed due to the extreme heat.
Just before the players took to the court, they reached the cut-off mark of 5 points for the tournament’s heat stress standards, meaning the entire contest was held indoors.
With outside temperatures reaching the mid-40s, this was probably welcome news for the players as well.
Zverev had the upper hand in the first set, but Tien, who is coached by former French Open champion Zhang, was even with the German in the second set.
Although Tien lacks the raw power of his opponent and the German’s strong serve that ultimately made the difference, he already has a great feel for court geometry, and his drop shots and hand skills at the net have outpaced Zverev on numerous occasions.
Trailing 5-3 in the tiebreak, Zverev tied the score with a tight forehand before Tien played perhaps the best two points of the match.
What Tien lacks is experience, and while he couldn’t maintain his intensity in the third set, Zverev fought off a set point with a big serve at 5-6 in the fourth and then won the tiebreak.
The 28-year-old is now in his fourth semi-final, the most ever for a German man, and is one win away from reaching a third Grand Slam final, matching last year’s record.
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