Defeating Alcaraz, Zverev and Medvedev compete for tickets to the final

Alexander Zverev leads 4-3 against Carlos Alcaraz in the head-to-head score before the 2024 Australian Open quarter-final, the German player most recently won against his Spanish opponent at the 2023 ATP Finals. Those solid foundations help Zverev have confidence when facing the No. 2 seed.

Zverev won 5 out of 8 matches against Alcaraz (Photo: Getty).

Alcaraz started the match poorly, after starting the match with a straight game loss, the Spaniard was hopeless in making it difficult for his opponent in the return games. Alcaraz lost another break in the 6th game, while Zverev only dropped 2 points in 4 games of serving, thanks to that he quickly won 6-1 in the first set.

It was thought that playing well in the first games of the second set would help Alcaraz get into the rhythm of the match. However, the Spaniard was still very unstable, after leading 3-2, Alcaraz lost 4 consecutive games, thereby Zverev won 6-3.

Alcaraz caused little trouble for Zverev in the games the German served. In the third set, Zverev broke in the fourth game, taking a 3-1 lead and then quickly broke away. It was thought that Zverev would close out the match in game 9, but Alcaraz unexpectedly broke successfully.

When the tie-break was played, Zverev started well, leading 2-0. However, Alcaraz then performed impressively and continuously scored points. Winning 5 consecutive points, Alcaraz won 7-2, thereby reducing the score to 1-2 and continuing to hope for a comeback.

Alcaraz did not play well in the Australian Open quarter-finals (Photo: Getty).

Zverev got an early break in the fourth set, but Alcaraz quickly demanded a break to prevent his opponent from breaking away. The two players fought fiercely until the ninth game, with Alcaraz serving and continuously losing points due to unforced errors. Zverev got the second break and took advantage of the opportunity to win 6-4, thereby winning 3-1.

Speaking after the match, Zverev spoke about missing out on a third set: "When you're up 6-1, 6-3, 5-2 against a player like Alcaraz, you start thinking about winning because we're all human. Your brain starts working and it's not always helpful. But I'm happy to finally win. I fought pretty well in the fourth set and didn't give up."

Disappointed after being eliminated, Alcaraz shared after the match: "I played well in the fourth set. Obviously it was not my best form but it was good form. I did not create opportunities. As everyone saw, my performance was quite up and down, from the way I played to my serve."

Medvedev celebrates victory in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open (Photo: Getty).

Zverev's opponent for the final ticket will be Daniil Medvedev, the Russian player won 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 against Hubert Hurkacz.

"After every match, I'm in the locker room and I feel broken," Medvedev said after the match. "Then we do very well. One day off is probably enough for me to feel good the next day."

"So far, it's been important to start the game well. Then I try to win, if I'm exhausted it doesn't matter because there will be a day off."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/danh-bai-alcaraz-zverev-cung-medvedev-tranh-ve-vao-chung-ket-20240125022037601.htm