Melbourne Park played host to an instant classic on Tuesday night as tennis legends past and future collided in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 10th title, had to summon all his grit and guile to outlast 19-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a spellbinding encounter.
The matchup between the accomplished veteran Djokovic, 35, and the prodigious youngster Alcaraz, already ranked No. 6 in the world, had fans salivating in anticipation. And the duel more than delivered, with both men producing jaw-dropping shotmaking and pulsating rallies that had the Rod Laver Arena crowd enraptured for 3 hours and 38 minutes.
Alcaraz Races to Early Lead
Alcaraz, who upset No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarters, displayed no intimidation facing Djokovic for the first time. The Spaniard came out swinging freely, cracking winners from all areas of the court to claim the opening set. His athleticism and creativity had Djokovic scrambling on defense.
Djokovic Digs Deep
But the 21-time Grand Slam champion has seen it all before. Djokovic calmly assessed the challenge and elevated his game, cutting down on errors and applying more pressure on the Alcaraz serve. The Serb leveled the match by edging a tense second set, punctuated by spectacular defensive gets.
What a battle. I knew coming in it would be very tough against Carlos. So much talent and firepower at such a young age. I had to dig incredibly deep tonight.
– Novak Djokovic, in his on-court interview
Momentum Swings
With the match finely balanced, it was Djokovic who blinked first in the third set. Alcaraz pounced on a loose service game to break for 3-1, energizing his supporters. But the Serbian maestro has built a career on resilience. He immediately struck back, winning five straight games to claim the set and move ahead.
Djokovic Closes It Out
Despite his optimum physical conditioning, Alcaraz began to show signs of weariness in the fourth set against the relentless pressure of Djokovic. The decisive moment came with Alcaraz serving at 4-5, 30-40, when Djokovic uncorked a stunning backhand pass to seal his hard-earned victory.
- 33 rallies exceeded 9 shots
- Djokovic prevailed on 67% of long exchanges
Zverev Awaits in Semis
With this triumph, Djokovic advances to a tantalizing semifinal against No. 7 seed Alexander Zverev. The German defeated American Tommy Paul in four sets earlier on Tuesday. Djokovic owns a 7-4 edge in his head-to-head with Zverev, including victory in their lone previous meeting at the Australian Open in 2021.
While a blockbuster championship clash with great rival Rafael Nadal looms, Djokovic’s steely focus remains squarely on the task at hand. Two more wins would land him a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown and an unprecedented 22nd major title. Based on his virtuoso performance against Alcaraz, only the bold would bet against him.
