Carlos Alcaraz has reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in his career after defeating Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.
The Spanish superstar was in fine form against the Australian, winning the contest 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.
De Minaur faded after a close first set, allowing Alcaraz to take full control of the match and advance to the last four.
Earlier in the tournament, Alcaraz eclipsed a record previously held by Bjorn Borg; and on Tuesday, the Spaniard once again entered an elite conversation alongside some of tennis’ greatest-ever players.
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Carlos Alcaraz has reached the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams
As per OptaAce, Carlos Alcaraz has become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach the men’s singles semi-final at all four Grand Slam events.
Alcaraz, who has achieved the feat aged 22 years and 258 days, is eclipsed by only two players: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal achieved the feat while aged 22 years and 83 days. Astonishingly, Novak Djokovic accomplished leads all players in this statistical area, having reached the last four at all for Slams by the time he was aged 20 years and 237 days.
Returning to Alcaraz, the Spaniard will now face Alexander Zverev for a spot in the Australian Open final.
Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, defeated Learner Tien in four sets earlier on Tuesday.
Carlos Alcaraz’s last match against Alexander Zverev
Alcaraz last played Zverev in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters, defeating the German world number three 6-4, 6-3.
Zverev struggled physically throughout the contest, leading to Alcaraz sending the German a message in its aftermath.
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After the match, Alcaraz wrote a message on the tournament camera lens, saying: “Happy for the final but feeling bad for Sasha. Wish you all the best.”
Alcaraz won the tournament following Jannik Sinner’s retirement at 0-5 in the final.
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