10-time champion Novak Djokovic battled through injury to defeat Carlos Alcaraz and booked a semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev. Women's defending champion Sabalenka also entered the Australian Open semifinals where she will face Paula Badosa.
MELBOURNE, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare and staged a remarkable resurrection to defeat third seed Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday, while defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka battled into the Australian Open semifinals.
Ten-time tournament winner Djokovic had medical attention on a leg injury early in the blockbuster match and appeared in physical discomfort upon his return.
But like countless times before on his favored Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic pushed through the pain barrier and reverted to an aggressive strategy to blunt Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 37 minutes.
Djokovic let out a roar when he sealed victory at almost 1 a.m. and he remains on track for a record 25th Grand Slam title. It was a disappointment for four-time major champion Alcaraz, who has never progressed past the last eight in Melbourne.
"I just wish that this match today was the final," Djokovic said. "One of the most epic matches I've played on this court, or any court."
"If I lost that second set, I don't know if I would have kept playing. But I felt better and better," he said.
Djokovic will focus on recovery ahead of his semifinal on Friday against second seed Alexander Zverev, who overcame a third set stumble to defeat world No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1.
The German reached the final four of a Grand Slam for the ninth time as he continued his quest for a first major title.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2019 and again last year when he blew a two-set lead against Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev was patchy at times against the American, but dominated the tiebreaks before finishing the match strongly.
"To be honest, I should have been down two sets to love," Zverev said. "The fourth set was definitely the best that I played and obviously extremely happy to be back in the semifinals."
In windy conditions on Rod Laver Arena, Sabalenka overcame struggles on her serve to edge 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 53 minutes.
The Belarusian was broken five times and lost her first set of the tournament but dug deep to clinch her 19th straight win in Melbourne.
She remains well on course for a hat-trick of titles, a feat that only five women have achieved in tournament history, with the last being Martina Hingis in 1999.
"I was just praying today and trying to put the ball back in these tough conditions," Sabalenka said. "She played amazing tennis, very aggressive".
Sabalenka will next face Spain's Paula Badosa, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal after a 7-5, 6-4 upset of third seed Coco Gauff in one hour and 43 minutes.
Former US Open champion Gauff entered as warm favorite having ridden a surge of momentum into the last eight with 13 straight wins since clinching November's season-ending WTA Finals.
But she had no answers for fired-up former world No.2 Badosa, determined to turn around a modest record in Grand Slams. Her aggressive form in Melbourne continued and rattled Gauff, whose title hopes crashed amid 41 unforced errors.
Having failed to close out the match in her previous service game, Badosa held her nerve and sank to her knees in an emotional celebration.
"I'm a bit emotional and, overcoming something like this [getting past the quarterfinals] today, I wanted to play my best game and I think I did it," said Badosa, who beat a top-10 player in a Grand Slam for the first time.
"I'm super proud of my level today."
Meanwhile, China's Zhang Shuai and her mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna of India were knocked out by Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 in the last eight.
Quarterfinal action continues on Wednesday with men's defending champion Jannik Sinner facing Australian Alex de Minaur, while 21st seed Ben Shelton meets Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek plays eighth seed Emma Navarro, while 19th seed Madison Keys battles 28th seed Elina Svitolina. ■