Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare as he defied cramp and Alexander Zverev’s comeback from two sets down to reach his first Australian Open final after five hours and 27 minutes. In extending his five-set winning streak to 12 matches, Alcaraz becomes the youngest man in the Open era to reach the finals of all four grand slam tournaments.
The World No 1 looked to be cruising into the final without dropping a set as he led third seed Zverev after two close sets, but as he neared the finish line at 4-4 in the third set the 22-year-old dramatically pulled up, stretching his right leg.
