Djokovic Beats Alcaraz In Australian Open, Reaches Semi Finals

By: Gyang Dakwo

Novak Djokovic produced a statement quarter-final win in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the Australian Open, where he overcame rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to remind everyone he is one of the men to beat in Melbourne.

The Serbian is a 10-time Australian Open champion and has been a dominant force at the hard-court event since he lifted his first major in Melbourne Park in 2008.

However, Djokovic suffered a disappointing semi-final defeat to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in Melbourne last year and failed to win a major in a season for the first time since 2017.

Djokovic put to bed any doubts about his ability to add to his 24 major titles with a high-quality three-hour, 37-minute display against Alcaraz.

In windy conditions and in front of an electric crowd at Rod Laver Arena, the seventh seed countered an early physical issue by red-lining the ball for large periods. Djokovic received a medical timeout at 4-5 in the first set and returned with his upper left leg taped but did not let the issue get the better of him.

Under the guidance of coach Andy Murray, the Serbian responded by crushing the ball off both wings to gain the upper hand in the brutal baseline exchanges, while he hit with great depth to limit Alcaraz’s ability to use the drop shot effectively. In another epic encounter between the two, Djokovic put his body on the line to fight off any Alcaraz resistance, hitting the ground on several occasions to win lung-busting exchanges.

After sealing victory on his first match point, Djokovic let out a roar before he embraced the Spaniard. Djokovic now leads Alcaraz 5-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, while he is into a record-extending 50th major semi-final.

Standing in his way of an 11th Australian Open final is Alexander Zverev after the German defeated Tommy Paul in four sets earlier on Tuesday.

“I want to say my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos, everything he stands for and what he has achieved so far in his career,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “What a terrific guy he is, and an even better competitor. Youngest ever No. 1 in the world, four Grand Slams, and I’m sure we are going to see a lot of him… Maybe not as much as I would like, but he is going to be there for sure longer than me. I just wish this match today was the final, honestly.

“It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really.”

Alcaraz, 21, was aiming to become the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam, having triumphed at the US Open (2022), Wimbledon (‘23, ‘24) and Roland Garros (‘24). However, the third seed could not quite find the answers against a pumped-up Djokovic, who has now won all three of the pair’s hard-court meetings, including a three-hour, 49-minute Cincinnati final thriller in 2023.