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How did these two get here?
Carlos Alcaraz (1) has yet to drop a set on his way to the final four and has been getting noticeably better in every game: seeing off Alex de Minaur (6), Tommy Paul (19), Corentin Moutet (32), Yannick Hanfmann, and Adam Walton on his road here.
He hasn’t had to go five – we’ve only had two five-set matches in the second week of a Grand Slam since the start of 2025 – but Alexander Zverev (3) for his part has seen off an opponent in straight sets just once on his road to the semfinals, doing so against Francisco Cerundolo (18) in the fourth round.
Elsewhere, he’s been challenged by Learner Tien (25), Cameron Norrie (26), Alexandre Muller, and Gabriel Diallo but emerged victorious every time.
In case you didn’t see it, yesterday’s play saw the women’s singles finals locked in: Elena Rybakina (5) seeing off an attempted fightback from Jess Pegula (6) to secure her third grand slam final appearance and set up a date with Aryna Sabalenka (1), who earlier that evening got past Elina Svitolina (12) in straight sets.
And in case you didn’t hear it, Sabalenka was none-too-pleased with a hindrance call that went against her early on in the match after she let loose with an unusual, late grunt.
It promises to be a good final: the two staging battles in the past – Rybakina beating Sabalenka in Riyadh last year – and the Kazakhstani one of the few players on the tour that can slug it out with the world number one from the back of the court.
And… well… on the subject of cameras backstage, footage from behind the scenes at Rod Laver shows both Carlos Alcaraz (1) and Alexander Zverev (3) going through their final warm-ups before heading out onto the court.
Tumaini Carayol has also taken a look at the growing discussions born from Coco Gauff (3) smashing her racquet in what she thought was a secluded area at Olympic Park after her quarterfinal loss – one pitching player privacy against the increasing access is demanded in a world in which content is king.
Novak Djokovic has insisted that he will not “walk out with a white flag” as he prepares for his latest battle with one of the ATP’s dominant top two in a grand slam semi-final, this time against the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday in Melbourne.
Tumaini Carayol takes a look at how Novak Djokovic (4) – whose remarkable journey to the final four has come without him winning a set since the third round – is seeking to do something remarkable against Jannik Sinner (2) later tonight.
A title has been decided on Rod Laver Arena already today, with Australian wildcard duo Olivia Gadecki and John Peers going-back-to-back by defeating French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard to win the mixed doubles.
We won’t need to worry about any heat-enforced stoppages today, but the mercury has climbed a tad higher on this Friday afternoon in Melbourne than yesterday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says we’re currently sitting at 27.6°C – 81°F in freedom units – and are forecast for a top of 29°C – 84.2°F for the Americans – today. Short of some kind of mammoth, five-set epic it will stay that way throughout this contest, too, the temperature not projected to drop until 6pm this evening.
Preamble
Joey Lynch
Howdy all, ya boi Joey Lynch back again and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the afternoon session of day 13 at the Australian Open. And wowee, we’re in for a good one this arvo.
As while Novak Djokovic (4) and Jannik Sinner (2) are set to lock horns in the night session later today I’ll be bringing you all the action as Carlos Alcaraz (1) and Alexander Zverev (3) do battle on Rod Laver Arena in the hours ahead. And while this year’s tournament – on the men’s and women’s side of things – hasn’t exactly been overflowing with shocks, we should at least be in for some good tennis.
Indeed, most are expecting ‘Alcasinner’ to advance through to a fourth-straight Grand Slam final today – Alcaraz sandwiching wins at the French Open and US Open around Sinner’s triumph at Wimbledon – but with fitness of Djokovic under a cloud, it’s Zverev that is considered the more likely of upsetting the applecart.
The German’s mammoth serve and baseline game has given Alcaraz problems in the past, the two meeting twelve times previously and evenly splitting the series. And if experience counts for anything at this stage, he’s fully fit, defeated Alcaraz in Melbourne in 2024, and is looking to advance through to a second straight final Down Under. The world number one, meanwhile, has never before made it past the ‘Happy Slam’s’ quarterfinals.
Accused of being too passive in the biggest moments in the past – Zverev has lost all three Grand Slam finals he’s competed in, notably against Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open – he emphasised his focus on bringing greater aggression when needed after seeing off Learner Tien (25) in the quarterfinals, of the belief that success will come if he keeps it up.
Nonetheless, the third seed getting up here would be considered a significant upset. Addressing concerns around his concentration, Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a set on his way through to the final four and has paired that with the virtuoso-like shot-making and movement that has brought him to the brink of becoming the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
The manner in which he swept aside Alex de Minaur (6) in the quarterfinals was almost frightening, simply turning on the jets and blowing past the Australia, and if he can keep those levels today, it’s hard to see him being beaten.
But predictions like that and five bucks will (barely, these days) get you a cup of coffee, so let’s strap in for some tennis.
