Alexander Zverev dumps out Carlos Alcaraz to reach Australian Open semis

During the early stages of his budding profession, Carlos Alcaraz has taken great joy in attaining feats that appeared unattainable. He has upheld an elevated level of performance with remarkable consistency, been quick to grasp lessons from his errors, and even when he has encountered hardships, he has frequently managed to overcome them.

He struggled to find a solution this time. Even though he made a valiant effort towards the end, his initial performance was weak, which made it near impossible for him to catch up to an exceptional Alexander Zverev. The latter played at a consistently high level throughout the four sets and achieved one of his greatest victories in the grand slam, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 and securing his spot in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Consequently, the upcoming match for a place in the final on Sunday will be a battle between Zverev, ranked sixth, and Medvedev, ranked third. Earlier today, Medvedev was able to keep calm despite the hot and uncomfortable weather in Melbourne. He managed to hold off a strong challenge from Hurkacz to secure his place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought 5-set victory, winning 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

When Alcaraz stepped into Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night, he was expected to easily beat his opponent who was ranked lower than him. But their history showed that there was still a risk to watch out for. Zverev had beaten Alcaraz four times out of seven, with the most significant victory being at the 2022 French Open, where the German played exceptionally well.

Zverev had a comparable mentality to that of 2022, hitting the ball with ease against an opponent who was expected to defeat him. On the other hand, Alcaraz seemed nervous right from the start, making a terrible start by giving away the first break due to a series of mistakes in his opening service game.

During the match, Zverev showed exceptional serving skills, swiftly maneuvered behind the baseline, and outmaneuvered his opponent with his defensive strategy. He struck at the right moments when he was inside the baseline, charging with aggression. Meanwhile, Alcaraz struggled to minimize the number of mistakes he made and had a measly two winners as compared to ten unforced errors in the first set alone. Although he momentarily showed improvement early in the second set, his performance quickly deteriorated as he continued to commit additional errors.

Alcaraz struggled throughout the match against Zverev and didn't find any motivation until the end. In his last opportunity, Zverev was serving for the match at 5-3 when Alcaraz surprised everyone by playing an excellent return game. He managed to break Zverev's serve, and the crowd went wild with enthusiasm. With the support of the audience, Alcaraz continued to fight and evened the score to 5-5. He then forced a tiebreak and won the set with an incredible display of attack and forward movement - which amazed everyone watching.

The situation changed and Alcaraz put in a lot of effort during the fourth set. Zverev felt a lot of pressure from the start, but he managed to serve really well. He also participated in the intense back-and-forth exchanges that Alcaraz provoked, and stayed in the game for long enough to take advantage of Alcaraz's faltering performance and secure a thrilling victory.

Just before his first match at the Australian Open, it was revealed that Zverev - a professional tennis player from Berlin - will have to face some serious accusations in court. Specifically, he stands accused of causing serious physical harm to Brenda Patea - a woman he used to date - and damaging her health. The trial will begin on May 31st and the public will be able to attend. Unfortunately, this means that the trial may overlap with some of the biggest upcoming tennis events, such as the French Open and Wimbledon. Zverev, however, denies all of these allegations against him.

During the initial men's semi-final, Medvedev seemed to be heading towards a clear win against Hurkacz, taking a crucial lead in the fourth set. However, Hurkacz showed great resilience by recovering from the deficit, forcing a thrilling fifth set. As the game progressed and the heat intensified, Medvedev started to experience some difficulties, but he managed to overcome them and secure the victory.

Medvedev's last 11 days have been full of intense challenges, including long matches that lasted five sets and difficult battles in unbearable heat. He even had to play a match until the early hours of the morning, finishing at 3:40 am. Despite these difficulties, Medvedev stated that he felt exhausted after each match but was able to recover with the help of his team. Although he only had one day of rest, he managed to feel better the next day. Medvedev is satisfied with his performance so far in the beginning matches, and that's all that matters to him.