Aus open 2024 : Alcaraz loses to brilliant Zverev in QF . Medvedev reaches SF

 


 Australian Open 2024 sees another unexpected result .  Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the quarterfinals after losing to Alexander Zverev   The result of the match was 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4 in favor of Zverev.  Alcaraz is ranked number two in the world.  He lost against the sixth seeded Zverev.


 Alcaraz won Wimbledon last year.  He won the US Open the year before.  After Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic is expected to rule the tennis world in the coming days.  But in the first two sets, Alcaraz was simply demolished by Zverev who showed great ball striking in the first two sets winning them effortlessly with brilliant serve and skilful returns that had the Spaniard on the ropes .  Alcaraz did not seem to be playing at his best .   Alcaraz lost the first two sets 1-6, 3-6.


 Alcaraz returned to the match in the third set with some brilliant tennis . He was down 2-5 but Zverev could not close out the match . The Spanish star went to the tie breaker and won the set 7-6 (7-2 ) to stage a great comeback .  Zverev was ahead for a while in the third set.  Alcaraz kept the set after that.  In the tie breaker, he almost blew away Zerev.  Alcaraz's game in the first two sets did not match Alcaraz's game in the third set.



 Alcaraz won the third set but lost the fourth set.  Even though it was a 4-4 game, Zverev broke Alcaraz's serve after that.  Later, the German star won the match by winning his service game in style  to set up a semis clash with Medvedev 


Earlier Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals after winning the other quarter-final.  He defeated Hubert Hurkacz.  Medvedev won the five-set marathon  fight 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Hurkacz put up a great show after narrowly losing the first set . He took the second set in style but Medvedev won the 3rd set to forge ahead as both players played high octane tennis .


Hurkacz won a hotly fought 4th set to push it to the 5th . However Medvedev did just enough in the last set to win a battle of attrition 


 Djokovic will play Jannik  Sinner in the other semi-final.


 Coco Gough and Aryna Sabalenka face each other in the women's semi-finals - a replay of the US open final . Sabalenka looked in prime form and is yet to lose a set in this event . Diana Yastremska and Qinwen Zheng will play in the other semi-final.  Both matches will be played on Thursday.  The mens' semi-finals will be held on Friday.

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