Carlos Alcaraz bids for his first Australian Open final against Alexander Zverev and looks to move another step closer to the career grand slam.
The world No 1 is the only men’s player who is yet to drop a set so far this tournament and demolished home hope Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals to advance to the final four for the first time.
He will now look for revenge against Zverev, the world No 3 and last year’s beaten finalist, following a quarter-final defeat to the German in 2024.
Zverev will look to return to the final as the 28-year-old continues his quest for a maiden grand slam title, and he has six wins against Alcaraz in their 12 career meetings.
The winner will go through ahead of the other semi-final, another blockbuster between Novak Djokovic and defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz v Alexander Zverev start time
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will play their semi-final from 3:30am GMT (UK time) and they have the afternoon slot in Melbourne before Jannik Sinner takes on Novak Djokovic in the evening.
Australian Open order of play
Day 13 – Friday 30 January
Not before: 3:30 AM GMT
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) [1] vs. Alexander Zverev (GER) [3]
Not before: 8:30 AM GMT
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [4] vs. Jannik Sinner (ITA) [2]
Is the Australian Open on TV?
The tournament will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK as well as online on Discovery+.
In the US, it will be shown live on ESPN and Tennis Channel.
Carlos Alcaraz v Alexander Zverev head-to-head
This will be their 13th meeting, with six wins each since their first tour-level match in 2021. Despite being ranked inside the world’s top four last season, they only met once, with Alcaraz winning in straight-sets. Their last meeting at the grand slams was the 2024 French Open final, which Alcaraz won from two sets down. Before then, Zverev won their Australian Open final. Since then, both of Zverev’s wins have been indoors.
2025: Cincinnati Masters, semi-final, outdoor hard — Alcaraz wins 6–4, 6–3
2024: ATP Finals, round robin, indoor hard — Zverev wins 7–6(5), 6–4
2024: Roland Garros, final, outdoor clay — Alcaraz wins 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2
2024: Indian Wells Masters, quarter-final, outdoor hard — Alcaraz wins 6–3, 6–1
2024: Australian Open, quarter-final, outdoor hard — Zverev wins 6–1, 6–3, 6–7(2), 6–4
2023: ATP Finals, round robin, indoor hard — Zverev wins 6–7(3), 6–3, 6–4
2023: US Open, quarter-final, outdoor hard — Alcaraz wins 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
2023: Madrid Masters, round of 16, outdoor clay — Alcaraz wins 6–1, 6–2
2022: Roland Garros, quarter-final, outdoor clay — Zverev wins 6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(7)
2022: Madrid Masters, final, outdoor clay — Alcaraz wins 6–3, 6–1
2021: Vienna, semi-final, indoor hard — Zverev wins 6–3, 6–3
2021: Acapulco, round of 32, outdoor hard — Zverev wins 6–3, 6–1
What happened in the quarter-finals?
Carlos Alcaraz was superb in beating Alex de Minaur 7-5 6-2 6-1, ending the in-form home hope’s latest bid. “I think it was a great match in terms of level, of intensity. I think I played probably my best match so far in the tournament,” Alcaraz said. “Just really happy to get through and be able to play my first semi-final here, so just really looking forward to playing it.”
Alexander Zverev overcame rising Learner Tien in four sets, recovering from losing the second-set tiebreak to win 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6 in an impressive serving performance. “It was incredible to see how he played from the baseline. I thought he was playing unbelievable,” Zverev said. “For me to win, I think, you know, the serve was very important for me, because on the baseline, again, he was playing amazing.”
What has Carlos Alcaraz said about Alexander Zverev
“The week before we just had a practice with other players. I got a practice with him, which the level was really, really high. It was 7-6. it was a high level of tennis, high level of intensity.
I’ve watched his matches through the tournament. It’s impressive the level he’s been playing so far, so it’s going to be a great battle. I know that he’s serving pretty well. He’s playing really solid and aggressive when he can in the rallies from the baseline.
“I will be ready, for sure. I’m excited about playing him here in Australian Open in a semi-final. So I know what I have to do. I will be well-prepared for that match, and yeah, if he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot.”
