The Australian Open final is shaping up to be a grueling showdown, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz, 22, set to face rival Novak Djokovic, 38, after both won punishing five-set semifinals on Friday in Melbourne. Alcaraz advanced after outlasting Alexander Zverev in a marathon five-hour, 27-minute match in blistering heat—the longest men’s semifinal in Melbourne Park history. The Spaniard battled through apparent thigh cramps that required a medical timeout and later admitted in a on-court interview that the match was one of the most physically demanding of his career. No. 4 seed Djokovic booked his spot by defeating reigning champion Jannik Sinner in another five-set thriller, making him the oldest man in the Open era to reach the Australian Open final. Speaking on-court afterward, Djokovic said he knew beating Sinner would be “very difficult—but not impossible.” Alcaraz and Djokovic have faced off several times, most recently at the 2025 U.S. Open, where Alcaraz stunned Djokovic for the title.
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