Carlos Alcaraz fought back from cramp and injury to defeat Alexander Zverev in an epic Australian Open semi-final that lasted five hours and 27 minutes.

Alcaraz, who is aiming to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam, recorded a stunning 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 victory in a roller-coaster affair at Rod Laver Arena.

The 22-year-old, who could barely move after running into problems midway through the third set and losing the tiebreak, relied on his excellent groundstrokes and placement to win and extend the match.

Alcaraz continues his journey on the road, beating Zverev in the deciding set, and is aiming to regain fitness to meet either Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title, or two-time defending champion Janik Sinner in Sunday’s title match.

“Believe. Always believe,” said Alcaraz, the world No. 1 player. “I always say, no matter what hardship you go through, you have to believe in yourself.

“You always have to believe in yourself. I struggled in the middle of the third set. Physically, it was one of the most physically demanding matches I’ve played in my short career.

“But I’ve been in these types of games before, so I know what I have to do. I have to put my heart and soul into the game.

“I think I did it. I fought until the last ball. I knew I was going to have a chance. I was patient in the fifth set. Very proud of my serve and the way I fought back in the fifth set.”

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