MELBOURNE, Australia — One of the most unusual escapades in tennis history… Carlos Alcaraz Overcoming illness and great physical challenges, he defeated Alexander Zverev in five sets to earn his first victory. australian open final.

He led for two sets, but by the end of the third set, Alcaraz’s movement was so bad that it looked like he might have to retire with an injury. Suffering from what appeared to be a combination of an upper leg injury and cramps, and after vomiting twice into a towel during a change of ends, Alcaraz continued to play and Zverev won the next two sets in a tiebreak.

The world No. 1 then faced a break in the fifth set when Zverev served for the match, but found a way to recover from the precipice and broke Zverev’s serve again to win in 5 hours and 27 minutes. There were two minutes left until the end of the game. Defeated Jannik Sinner in last year’s French Open finalwhen winning from 3 points below in the championship.

In the longest Australian Open semi-final in history, Alcaraz put on one of the most impressive mental performances of his career to win 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 after overcoming severe physical pain.

The match started at 4-4 in the third set, when Alcaraz flinched after putting his body on the line for a volley, and the match seemed to have turned. Alcaraz managed to hold on at 5-4 and then sat down for medical attention. The referee called a medical timeout, at which point Zverev became angry, claiming Alcaraz was suffering from cramps and should not have taken a medical timeout.

“He’s having a seizure. What else do you need? This is complete bullshit. I can’t believe it. That can’t be happening. You can’t be serious. You protect both. I can’t believe it,” he told his supervisor in German.

Players can receive treatment for cramps in up to three changeovers, but cannot take a medical timeout. It’s unclear whether Alcaraz indicated he had another injury prior to treatment, in which case a timeout would be allowed.

When they returned to the court, Alcaraz hit as many winners as he could and served more slowly but accurately, dragging Zverev to 0-30 on his serve, as Zverev was trailing 6-5.

Zverev rallied to force a third-set tie-break and won easily. After Alcaraz’s second set, he still seemed upset about Alcaraz’s treatment. Although the Spaniard was far from her best, she was good enough to win both sets, serving effectively in the first set and finding the right touch when needed in the second set tie-break.

Zverev knew that if he could somehow play pain-free again, the balance would shift dramatically in his opponent’s favor.

Alcaraz hung on and was all smiles after a spectacular rally early in the fourth set. It was as if he were saying, “Not bad for an injured player, right?” He told his team he was feeling a little better and tightened his legs a little to keep it 3-3 before asking the crowd to make a little noise. No one knew what was bothering Alcaraz and they were desperate to get back into the game after a strange atmosphere developed.

Carlos Alcaraz hurt his body in the middle third of his match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open. (Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)

Zverev, who has probably suffered more than anyone else at the hands of Alcaraz and Sinner, was simply trying to remain calm. He was furious with his team early in the match, after giving up the only break in the first set with a double fault and then losing the second set from a 5-2 lead, but now he was mostly silent and expressionless.

She missed a return from a slow second serve and could have been given two set points, but she didn’t respond. A few points later, Alcaraz’s fingers hit his ears and he did something spectacular before making his trademark move. That forehand pass was a moment of genius.

Once again in a tiebreak, Alcaraz gave a nod to himself and his team and put his body on the line for the final push. However, it was Zverev who raised the level, scoring five consecutive points to tie the match and take it to a fifth set.

Alcaraz may have been unwell, but before this victory his five-set record was 14-1. That means he hasn’t lost a Grand Slam match since losing here to Matteo Berrettini four years ago.

However, it was Zverev who broke right at the start of the fifth inning and saved two break points with a gutsy serve to go up 2-1. Playing passively in pressure situations is a fundamental weakness in Zverev’s game, and he is more aware of it than anyone, but here he showed positivity. Even while playing a compromised opponent, he coped very well with all the contradictory thoughts that would have been swirling around in his head.

Still, Alcaraz came back and somehow found the energy to chase down a drop volley and parry a passing shot off Zverev’s serve at 3-2. That made the score 30-30, then an otherworldly forehand return winner gave Alcaraz the breakback point at 30-40.

Zverev had a little luck when Alcaraz’s ball hit the tape and went long, but he made a great play by sending a forehand over the line to win the next point and send his opponent to the floor. Zverev held his record at 4-2 and came within a few games of winning. It was closer than the French Open final two years ago, when he led 2 sets to 1.

And for all the questions about Zverev’s ability to be aggressive when it really matters, a forehand bullet on the line after saving two more break points was the most convincing answer he’s ever offered, at least until his next service game.

Alcaraz, who failed to convert five break points in the deciding set, would have paid the price for his profligacy another day. Instead, Zverev served for a match and hit a forehand winner crosscourt for two more points. And after a number of overzealous mistakes, Alcaraz played patiently in key moments and earned the right to explode a forehand over the line, allowing the German to float his backhand long.

Alcaraz threw his arms in the air and the crowd roared, then Zverev’s shot went long and the crowd roared for another second, culminating in a crescendo.