MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic stunned reigning champion Jannik Sinner early Saturday to set up a blockbuster Australian Open final with Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard survived a five-set clash of his own with Alexander Zverev.&nbsp;The 38-year-old Serbian great turned back the clock to keep alive his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam crown by upsetting the Italian 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a gruelling 4hrs 9mins on Rod Laver Arena.&nbsp;World number one Alcaraz needed even longer to tame Zverev, spending a titanic 5hrs 27mins on court, overcoming cramping and a fifth-set deficit to win 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m lost for words right now, to be honest,&quot; said Djokovic, who dropped to his knees and was emotional when the match ended. &quot;It feels surreal.&quot;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/djokovic-wins-record-400th-slam-match-to-power-on-in-australia" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Djokovic</a>&nbsp;had lost his last five encounters with Sinner and thanked him for &quot;allowing me at least one win in the last couple of years&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;I have tremendous respect for him, he pushed me to the limit,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&quot;The level of intensity, and I guess the quality of tennis, was extremely high, and I knew that was the only way for me to have a chance to win tonight.&quot;&nbsp;The win propelled Djokovic into a 39th Grand Slam final and made him the oldest man in the Open era to reach the title match in Melbourne, where he has won 10 times.&nbsp;It will be his first finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024.&nbsp;Djokovic has been trying to move past Margaret Court -- who was in the stadium watching -- and clinch a landmark 25th major since his last one at the US Open in 2023.&nbsp;It has proved increasingly difficult with the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have shared every Slam title since then.&nbsp;Hate giving upAgainst Zverev, Alcaraz only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp.&nbsp;He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.&nbsp;Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping and Zverev made his feelings clear, swearing at officials.&nbsp;Alcaraz said afterwards he thought he might have hurt his right abductor and it was the physio who decided to have a timeout.&nbsp;The top seed played on with his movement hampered and he lost his first set of the tournament.&nbsp;But after swigging some pickle juice, he clawed back from a break down in the fifth set as the crowd roared their approval.&nbsp;&quot;I rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won,&quot; said Alcaraz, who is into his eighth major final.&nbsp;&quot;I just hate giving up,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;When I was younger there were a lot of matches that I just didn&#39;t want to fight anymore or just gave up. Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling after all.&quot;&nbsp;The 22-year-old Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two US Opens and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.&nbsp;Should he snap the drought he would be the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, surpassing compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who was 24 when he did so.&nbsp;His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men&#39;s singles final at all four Slams.&nbsp;In other action, wildcards John Peers and Olivia Gadecki became the first team to retain the Australian Open mixed-doubles title since 1988-89.&nbsp;They outlasted French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.&nbsp;

Tennis

Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner to reach the Australian Open final. Carlos Alcaraz also advanced after a tough five-set win over Alexander Zverev, setting up a final between Djokovic and Alcaraz.

Djokovic stuns Sinner to set up Australian Open final with Alcaraz

BOLOGNA: The head of the International Tennis Federation insisted on Sunday that top players are not snubbing the Davis Cup despite the absence of stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.&nbsp;&quot;There&#39;s this false feeling out there that top players don&#39;t represent their nation. That&#39;s not true,&quot; David Haggerty told reporters ahead of Sunday&#39;s final between Italy and Spain.&nbsp;The international team event, this year being held in Bologna, is organised by the ITF.&nbsp;&quot;Some of those top players that played in the qualifier round or the second qualifier round didn&#39;t make it to the finals. And so we had many top players that have played,&quot; added Haggerty.&nbsp;&quot;And while Jannik and Carlos would be nice to have here, their teams are competing with the spirit of the strength that they provide to their teammates.&quot;&nbsp;American Taylor Fritz, Australian Alex De Minaur, Dane Holger Rune and Norwegian Casper Ruud -- all in the top 20 of the men&#39;s rankings -- featured in the early rounds of the competition without managing to lead their country to finals in Bologna.&nbsp;Spain&#39;s Alcaraz pulled out injured on Tuesday morning while his Italian rival Sinner announced weeks ago that he wouldn&#39;t participate in order to rest ahead of the 2026 season, meaning Sunday&#39;s final will be missing the world&#39;s two best players.&nbsp;Italian fans were also denied the chance to see Lorenzo Musetti play for his country after the world number eight withdrew following his elimination from the ATP Finals earlier this month.&nbsp;Musetti cited his physical condition and the imminent birth of his second child as the reasons for him not taking part on home soil.

ITF president David Haggerty rejected claims that top players are snubbing the Davis Cup, noting many competed earlier. Though stars like Sinner and Alcaraz withdrew, teams remain strong, despite several top-20 absences in the finals.

Tennis chief denies top players snubbing Davis Cup

TURIN: Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a straight-sets win to reach the ATP Finals championship match for the third year in a row. Sinner broke late in the first set and then pulled away from De Minaur to complete a 7-5, 6-2 win &mdash; his 13th in as many meetings with the Australian. The Italian world number two has yet to drop a service game en route to the final but will likely have a tougher test in the final against top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is favourite to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in Saturday&#39;s other semifinal. &ldquo;Honestly every matchup (with Alcaraz) is different. We saw it in Rome and Paris, even if it is the same surface (clay), it can change,&rdquo; said Sinner, who lost both of those finals before beating his Spanish rival to win Wimbledon. &ldquo;Another final, it has been an amazing year for me. I am looking forward to tomorrow&hellip; also to see for me where my level really is, but at the same time it is great before the offseason to have this matchup. &ldquo;He still has a match to go against Felix&hellip; He loves to play indoors, as we know. Let us see who is going to win. Anyway, I am happy to be in the final. Then we see.&rdquo; Sinner has won his last 18 sets played in Turin, where he beat Taylor Fritz in last year&rsquo;s final. The four-time Grand Slam champion is on a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts. The 24-year-old Sinner has not dropped a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic, while De Minaur ends his year with a more upbeat mood than the one he had after losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage. De Minaur&rsquo;s new perspective De Minaur admitted that he had been in a &ldquo;dark place&rdquo; after that loss, which almost cost him a place in the last four, before he beat Taylor Fritz to set up Saturday&#39;s clash with Sinner. &ldquo;I had a little shift in perspective. Of course, like, sitting here right now, I feel like I should have finished my Turin campaign having won two matches instead of one,&rdquo; De Minaur told reporters. &ldquo;But you cannot really change the past. You have just got to do your best to learn from it, get back up, and keep on heading forward, right? That is ultimately the goal now. Obviously I am in a much better place.&rdquo; De Minaur fought off two break points in the opening game of the semifinal but then failed to convert any of the three he carved out in Sinner&rsquo;s first service game. The Australian resisted again when Sinner threatened to break in the seventh and ninth games, but the second seed eventually struck the key blow at 5-5 and snatched the first set. Sinner surged 4-0 ahead in the second set before wrapping up his ninth straight win at the tournament, becoming the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three finals at the season-ending event. If Sinner faces Alcaraz in the final, it will be their sixth meeting of the season. Alcaraz has won four of the five previous matches, triumphing in the French Open and US Open finals.<figure class="fr-media"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic"> </figcaption></figure>

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his semifinal against Australia's Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals tennis tournament in Turin on November 15, 2025. (Marco Bertorello/AFP)

Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a straight-sets win to reach the ATP Finals championship match for the third year in a row

Sinner beats De Minaur to reach ATP Finals title match

Reuters

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reclaim the US Open title and return to world No. 1. The Spaniard earned his sixth Grand Slam at age 22, ending Sinner’s 27-match hardcourt major streak and strengthening their rivalry at the top of men’s tennis

Articles tagged with "Jannik Sinner"

Djokovic stuns Sinner to set up Australian Open final with Alcaraz

Tennis chief denies top players snubbing Davis Cup

Sinner beats De Minaur to reach ATP Finals title match

Double delight as Alcaraz reclaims world No 1 spot with US Open triumph