Novak Djokovic is through to a 50th Grand Slam semi-final thanks to a thrilling four-set win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.
The 24-time major winner remains on course for a record 25th Grand Slam crown after coming from behind to trump Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4, writing another chapter of tennis history in the process.
Djokovic is now the first male player to reach 50 major semi-finals in the Open Era, and just the second overall after Chris Evert, who made the final four on 52 occasions in major events.
Furthermore, the reigning Olympic champion and 10-time Australian Open winner has now won a staggering 91.7% of his matches at the first Grand Slam of the year, matching Jimmy Connors's all-time best record in the Open Era.
In order to set up a final of colossal proportions with either Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, Lorenzo Sonego or Alex de Minaur, Djokovic will have to make it past second seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
The mouthwatering encounter is a repeat of their semi-final showdown from the 2021 US Open, which Djokovic won in five sets, and the Serbian also triumphed in their most recent battle in the semi-finals of the 2023 Cincinnati Masters.
What else happened at the Australian Open on Tuesday?
© Imago
Before Djokovic and Alcaraz's headline battle, Zverev reached his second consecutive semi-final Down Under courtesy of his own four-set win against the USA's Tommy Paul, coming up trumps 7-6[1] 7-6[0] 2-6 6-1.
The 27-year-old left Boris Becker in his wake in the process, as he now has more match wins at the Australian Open than any other male German player, boasting 30 compared to Becker's 29.
In the women's quarter-finals, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her pursuit of a Melbourne three-peat by overcoming a tough test posed by 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Sabalenka prevailed 6-2 2-6 6-3 for her 19th consecutive victory at the Australian Open, and a tantalising semi-final against one of her closest friends on the WTA Tour awaits for the Belarusian.
Spain's Paula Badosa - last year's WTA's Comeback Player of the Year - stunned third seed Coco Gauff 7-5 6-4 to reach a major semi-final for the first time in her career.
Wednesday's remaining quarter-finals begin with Madison Keys taking on Elina Svitolina, and the winner of that battle will face either Iga Swiatek or Emma Navarro in the final four.
Later in the day, Shelton and Sonego pit their wits against one another at the Rod Laver Arena, before Sinner and home favourite De Minaur contest the main event in the evening session.
Ben Knapton
