MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who have been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he edged Jannik Sinner in five sets Friday to reach the Australian Open final.

Next, he’ll have to beat the other one: top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

They’re both chasing history in Sunday’s championship match, with the 22-year-old Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz also had to come through a grueling five-setter. He fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon Friday and — 5 hours, 27 minutes later — became the longest Australian Open semifinal.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in their semifinal match at the Australian Open on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

That pushed the start of Djokovic’s match against Sinner back a couple of hours, and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.

He fended off a staggering 16 of the 18 break points he faced against Sinner, the two-time defending Australian Open champion. It ended runs of five straight losses to Sinner and four straight semifinal exits for Djokovic at the majors.

Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last eight Grand Slam titles since Djokovic won his last at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Nobody knows how to win more at Melbourne Park, though. Djokovic has won all 10 times he has contested the Australian Open final.

“It feels surreal,” Djokovic said of his comeback semifinal win, a 4-hour, 9-minute classic. “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.

“That’s my desire. Let the God decide the winner.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/australian-open-mens-semifinals/