Carlos Alcaraz Finally Gets First Australian Open Final

JAKARTA - Carlos Alcaraz managed to beat Alexander Zverev to reach the 2026 Australian Open final, which was his first summit at Melbourne Park.

The world number one tennis player was forced to play five dramatic sets and ended with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), and 7-5 on Friday, January 30, 2026, afternoon WIB.

"I struggled in the middle of the third set and physically it was one of the hardest matches I've played in my career," Alcaraz said after the match, as reported by BBC Sport.

The victory in this marathon match makes Alcaraz's dream of setting a record still alive. His previous longest journey in Australia was the quarterfinal he got last year.

Alcaraz is currently chasing his first title at the Australian Open. If successful, he will become the youngest player in history to win all four Grand Slam trophies at the age of 22.

That broke the record previously held by his compatriot Rafael Nadal. The retired 22-time Grand Slam champion managed to get all four Grand Slams in his career at the age of 24.

So far, Alcaraz has collected six Grand Slam titles. The number consists of two at the French Open (Roland Garros), two at Wimbledon, and the rest at the US Open.

In the final round, Alcaraz will meet the winner of Jannik Sinner against Novak Djokovic. Both players are fighting for a final ticket when this news was written.

Sinner is the defending champion in Australia after last year he defeated Zverev in the final. The Italian tennis player is hunting for his third consecutive title in Melbourne.

Djokovic, on the other hand, is trying to get his 25th Grand Slam title in his epic career. The Serbian will become the most successful player in the history of both the women's and men's singles if he succeeds.

Currently, the 38-year-old player is on par with Australian tennis legend Margaret Court, who also collected 24 titles in her career.