Alcaraz Defeats Djokovic in Epic Australian Open Final

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz defeated Serbia's Novak Djokovic in a dominating Australian Open final yesterday, making the Spaniard the world's youngest-ever career Grand Slam winner.

Alcaraz cruised to a dominant win in four sets after a couple of thrilling semifinals in the days prior.

On Thursday, Alcaraz defeated Germany's Alexander Zverev in a five-and-a-half hour long, five-set match, including three tiebreakers in the second, third, and fourth sets. While Alcaraz won the first and second sets, Zverev won both tiebreakers in the next two sets, forcing a fifth set. However, Alcaraz was able to outplay Zverev in the final set, completing the third-longest match ever held at the Australian Open and earning him a spot in the final.

Meanwhile, Djokovic – now 38 years old – beat the 24-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner in the other semifinal. The pair alternated wins in the first four sets, but Djokovic was able to squeeze out a win in the fifth set after saving eight break points.

Then, the day of the final arrived, with Alcaraz playing Djokovic on Sunday. Djokovic came out with all guns blazing, dominating the first set 6-2 with highly accurate serves and a strong forehand. However, Djokovic's early precision quickly flagged, allowing Alcaraz to control the next two sets, 6-2 6-3.

Then, the fourth set arrived, with Alcaraz taking an early lead. By the end of the set, the score was 6-5, with both players holding strong. Nevertheless, an incredible 24-shot rally yielded crucial points to Alcaraz, 15-0. The stamina needed to complete such a rally was too great for Djokovic, who erred on the next three points to seal the title for Alcaraz.

With the win, Alcaraz became the youngest-ever career Grand Slam winner, adding the 2026 Australian Open title to his doubles at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open. The previous titleholder was Don Budge, who completed the feat in 1938 at 22 years and 363 days, while Alcaraz won yesterday's game with an age of 22 years and 272 days.

Despite his loss, Djokovic took home a title on the other end of the spectrum– he is now the oldest-ever finalist since the beginning of the Open era.

Both players have already made a mark for themselves in history, and Alcaraz seems set to maintain his position as world No. 1 for quite a while longer.

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Image credit to Australian Open