Melbourne: Novak Djokovic, undeterred by a troubling left leg or a challenging opponent, advanced to the semifinals at the Australian Open. The Serbian tennis icon moved one step closer to his record 25th Grand Slam victory after a remarkable 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Carlos Alcaraz. Despite an early deficit, Djokovic’s resilience and exceptional skill saw him triumph in a match that lasted over 3.5 hours, eventually ending past 1 a.m. at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.

A thrilling, high-stakes contest
The match featured non-stop action, with both players displaying brilliant shot-making and remarkable determination. Alcaraz, seeking his own piece of tennis history, put up a tough fight, saving a crucial break point that would have allowed Djokovic to serve for the win in the fourth set. The crowd erupted when the 33-stroke rally, the longest of the evening, concluded with Djokovic missing a forehand, allowing Alcaraz to stay in the match.

However, Djokovic’s dominance in the later stages proved decisive. The 7th-seeded player, cheered on by his wife, son, and daughter, delivered a series of remarkable returns and groundstrokes, reminiscent of the challenges posed by his retired rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He earned the break for a 5-3 lead in the third set with a stunning forehand winner after a 22-stroke rally, further asserting his control.

Looking ahead to Friday's semifinal clash
Djokovic will now face No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev in his 50th major semifinal on Friday. Zverev, a two-time major runner-up, defeated No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1 in his quarterfinal. The other quarterfinals on Wednesday will see top-ranked Jannik Sinner facing No. 8 Alex de Minaur, and No. 21 Ben Shelton taking on unseeded Lorenzo Sonego.

With AP inputs