Alcaraz was the favourite but the German showed why he is one of the most highly regarded players on the ATP circuit.
Coming into the Australian Open quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev was was 0-10 against the top-5 in the world at Grand Slams. He would reach the second week of the tournament and then succumb to pressure; to nerves; to his own expectations.
So even before the match began, many didn’t give him a chance. Zverev had the better serve but Alcaraz had energy, the all-court game, the better return and had spent almost five hours less on court. And if you thought otherwise, they pointed to his record against the top players in the best of five sets encounters. It made sense. But then sport is all about second chances and the 26-year-old proved that as he cruised to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 victory on Wednesday.(HT)