MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner in a challenging five-set match on Friday to advance to the Australian Open final, marking a significant step toward his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam singles title. In the final, he will face Carlos Alcaraz, the top-ranked player in the world.
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Alcaraz also survived a grueling five-set encounter, overcoming No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5. This match, which lasted 5 hours and 27 minutes, became the longest semifinal in Australian Open history, pushing the start time of Djokovic's match against Sinner back by a couple of hours.
Djokovic eventually secured his victory over Sinner with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, finishing just after 1:30 a.m. He successfully saved 16 of the 18 breakpoints he faced, ending a stretch of five consecutive losses to Sinner and four consecutive semifinal exits in majors.
Alcaraz and Sinner have recently dominated the major tournaments, capturing the last eight titles between them since Djokovic's last win at the 2023 U.S. Open. Meanwhile, Djokovic has an unmatched record in Australian Open finals, winning all 10 times he has reached this stage.
"It feels surreal," Djokovic said about his semifinal comeback, which lasted 4 hours and 9 minutes. "Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back and fight the No. 1 of the world. I just hope that I'll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him."