Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return to Italy’s Jannik Sinner during their men’s singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 31, 2026.
Photo: IZHAR KHAN / AFP
Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open men’s singles final after beating defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in four hours and nine minutes.
It was the second epic semifinal of the day after top seed Alcaraz beat third seed Alexander Zverev in the third-longest Australian Open match ever – 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in five hours and 27 minutes – to reach his first final at Melbourne Park.
He will face a man who has a perfect 10-0 record in Australian Open finals and who enjoyed phenomenal support on Friday night despite an at-times fraught relationship with Aussie fans.
“I love our passionate relationship, every year it’s something different,” Djokovic said on court after his win.
“Tonight has been one of the best, if not the best, nights atmosphere wise [and] support wise I’ve ever had in Australia, for sure.”
Sunday’s final will mark the first time Djokovic has featured on the last day of a grand slam since Wimbledon 2024, which was also the last time Sinner missed the decider in a major.
Djokovic has not won a slam since the 2023 US Open and standing in the way of him becoming the first player to win 25 major singles titles is Alcaraz, a man 16 years his junior who beat him in that 2024 final at the All England Club.
“I just hope I’ll have enough gas to stand toe to toe with him and let God decide the winner,” Djokovic said.
Both players will carry some questions over fitness into the final with Djokovic looking ill for much of the third set against Sinner, while Alcaraz may have picked up a right leg injury against Zverev.
The world number one started limping late in the third set after winning the first two, with Zverev complaining to the tournament supervisor about the world number one getting a medical timeout for what he believed to be cramps.
Zverev fought back to win the third and fourth sets in tiebreaks and was up a break in the deciding fifth set before a fit-again Alcaraz rattled off our straight games to complete the victory.
Earlier, Australia’s Olivia Gadecki and John Peers successfully defended their mixed doubles title at Melbourne Park, coming from a set down to win in a thrilling 10-point tiebreaker.
– ABC