Ademola Lookman has opened his goalscoring account on his debut as new Atletico Madrid player on Thursday.
The winger scored in the 37th-minute for his new Spanish La Liga club in its 5-0 drubbing of Real Betis in their Copa del Rey quarter-final clash. Lookman also provided an assist in the match.
The 28-year-old sealed a €35 million transfer to Atletico from Atalanta on Monday, was thrown into the fire by coach Diego Simeone, and immediately repaid the faith with the best goal of the night.
Lookman collected a cross-field pass in the box following a counter attack, expertly took out two defenders with his dribbling, and tucked in a shot at the goalkeeper’s near post to hand Atletico a 3-0 lead at halftime in Betis.
The goal is Lookman’s 100th career goal on the night he made his first appearance for his seventh club as a professional. He also scored on his debut for his third consecutive club, following on from his fast start at RB Salzurg and Atalanta.
Lookman and Atletico Madrid advanced into the semi-final of a competition the club has not won in 12 years. The capital club will know its opponent on Friday. (TheCable)
Manchester City completed a 5-1 aggregate win over holders Newcastle to set up a Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.
Omar Marmoush scored twice early on before Tijjani Reijnders put the outcome beyond the doubt before the first half was through. Newcastle made a better fist of it after the interval, Anthony Elanga pulling one goal back, but the tie was a lost cause by then.
The Magpies were always up against it following their two-goal defeat last month and, though they were hoping for a fast start, any prospect of that was gone once Dan Burn’s clearance ricocheted off Marmoush and looped over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
James Trafford did have to come off his line twice to smother chances for Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon but Marmoush soon made them pay with his second of the night, nodding in from Antoine Semenyo’s centre after Reijnders’ powerful run from deep.
The Netherlands international midfielder regularly found space in behind the Newcastle midfield – City outnumbering their opponents in the centre of the pitch – and it led to the third goal as well. Reijnders finished this chance himself after being fed by Semenyo.
Eddie Howe lost Anthony Gordon to injury late in the first half and made three further substitutions at the break, changing the flow of the game somewhat, albeit too late. Yoane Wissa missed a clear chance before fellow arrival Anthony Elanga fired into the bottom corner.
There were chants of, ‘We’re going to win 6-5,’ from the vocal travelling support and though Harvey Barnes had an effort rightly ruled out for offside, Elanga then missed an even better chance after his goal, a reminder of City’s own vulnerabilities at the back.
But Newcastle’s grip on the trophy that ended their 70-year wait for major domestic silverware last season has been relinquished. It is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who will contest the final against Premier League leaders Arsenal on March 22 at Wembley.
This was Marmoush’s third start for City since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations and the third time that his team have taken the lead inside the opening 10 minutes of those games. Two of those goals have been scored by the livewire Egyptian himself.
He scored twice in this victory over Newcastle, this time without Erling Haaland on the pitch. That Marmoush looks a viable alternative to the big Norwegian could prove very important for Guardiola as City continue to compete on four fronts this season. (SkySports)
Novak Djokovic leaves the Australian Open still stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles and with fresh doubts about how many more tries he will have at winning an outright-record 25th.
The 38-year-old has consistently dismissed talk of retirement and said he is eyeing the defense of his Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
But after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the final on Sunday, the Serb suggested he may not be back in Melbourne.
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months,” he told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “So it has been a great ride. I love you guys.”
Djokovic has won a record 10 Australian Opens and until Sunday had never lost a final there.
But for all his success, Djokovic has not always had an easy relationship with the Melbourne fans.
“I want to just say in the end that you guys, particularly the last couple of matches, gave me something that I have never experienced in Australia,” he said. “That much love, support, positivity. I tried to give you back with good tennis over the years.”
It had the ring of a farewell speech and did not appear to have been just an emotional response to defeat.
He said he had prepared two speeches, one for winning and the other for losing.
Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 2023, drawing him level with the Australian Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.
But age and injuries, plus the emergence of world number one Alcaraz and number two Jannik Sinner, have left him unable to win another.
Before Sunday, his previous Grand Slam final had been in 2024, when he lost the Wimbledon decider, again to Alcaraz.
Last year he reached the semifinals of all four majors but got no further, with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the spoils.
He rolled back the years to defeat Sinner — 14 years his junior — in a five-set semifinal marathon in Melbourne.
But after Djokovic won the first set, the 22-year-old Alcaraz took a stranglehold on the final to sweep to victory 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Underlining where Djokovic is now in the pecking order of men’s tennis, he admitted he had not expected to reach another major final.
If the former world number one was going to win that elusive 25th, he may reflect that he has seen his best remaining chance come and go.
He is the undisputed king of Melbourne Park and Rod Laver Arena is the court where he has had the most success.
The fourth seed enjoyed two big pieces of luck in reaching the semifinals.
Djokovic enjoyed free passage through the fourth round when Jakub Mensik pulled out with injury.
He was then facing defeat at two sets down to Lorenzo Musetti, only for the Italian fifth seed to retire injured.
He rolled back the years to beat Sinner and make the final, but a repeat success so soon after playing five sets was beyond him.
“Overall, for sure it’s been a fantastic tournament,” he said. “I knew that I’d probably have to beat two of them (Alcaraz and Sinner) on the way to the title.
“I beat one, which is great, so it’s a step more further than I have gone in Grand Slams than last year. Very nice, encouraging. But, you know, not enough for me.”
So what next for one of the all-time greats?
For whatever time is left, he won’t give up on that 25th Grand Slam crown, even if the odds are now stacked against him.
“I always believe I can,” Djokovic said about finally eclipsing Court. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be competing.” (JapanToday)
Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the job in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.
It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.
In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.
City hold a 2-0 lead over Newcastle ahead of Wednesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.
Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.
It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.
Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.
Arteta launched a passionate defence of Arsenal’s style of play this week, revealing he has a “massive book of people” who feel his side are the “most exciting in Europe”.
Tuesday’s war of attrition will hardly silence Arsenal’s critics, but Arteta won’t care about that after leading his team to Wembley.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.
But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.
Without captain Martin Odegaard, sidelined by a muscle problem, and winger Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the pre-match warm-up at Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal weren’t at their best but still ground out the win.
Rosenior left England forward Cole Palmer on the bench as he switched to a three-man central defence for the first time in his reign.
Rosenior’s tactics allowed Chelsea to stifle Arsenal in a scrappy first half.
The Gunners briefly shook off their shackles as Piero Hincapie’s curler from just inside the area was palmed away by Robert Sanchez. (Channels)
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino defended his controversial decision to award a peace prize to U.S. President Donald Trump as he dismissed calls for a World Cup boycott.
Infantino was widely criticized for giving Trump the honor on behalf of his governing body at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC in December.
The move drew further scrutiny after U.S. forces seized Venezuelan president Miguel Maduro, while Trump caused more controversy with his desire to acquire Greenland for national security reasons.
However, Infantino insisted Trump was deserving of FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, telling Sky News on Monday: “Objectively, he deserves it.
“Whatever we can do to help peace in the world, we should be doing it, and for this reason, for some time we were thinking we should do something to reward people who do something.”
Infantino rejected suggestions there might be a boycott of this year’s World Cup — to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 — due to policies adopted at home and abroad by the Trump administration.
There has been unrest in a number of U.S. cities, most notably Minneapolis, over the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
But Infantino said there were never calls for businesses to boycott a country, “so why football?”
The 55-year-old added: “In our divided world, in our aggressive world, we need occasions where people can come, can meet around the passion (for football).”
Infantino also said FIFA and UEFA — European football’s governing body — would “have to” look at allowing Russia back into international action.
Russia has been banned since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but the International Olympic Committee has now recommended sports federations allow Russian teams to compete at youth level.
“We have to(look at readmitting Russia. Definitely,” Infantino said. “This ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred.
“Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.” (JapanToday)
Tottenham did fierce rival Arsenal a huge favor in the Premier League title race on Sunday.
Dominik Solanke scored a second-half double — including one from an outrageous scorpion kick — as Spurs came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with second-place Manchester City, leaving Arsenal with a six-point lead with 14 games left.
It was almost the perfect day for the leaders, with Aston Villa — the other title contender — losing 1-0 at home to 10-man Brentford.
Villa stayed seven points adrift of Arsenal and was in danger of being reeled in by fourth-place Manchester United, which scored a stoppage-time winner through Benjamin Sesko to beat Fulham 3-2 for a third straight league win under new manager Michael Carrick.
Having already overseen victories over City and Arsenal in his short tenure, Carrick appears to have the magic touch at revitalized United.
The same cannot be said of Pep Guardiola at the moment.
This was a huge wasted opportunity for Guardiola’s City, which was up against a heavily depleted Tottenham team and was cruising 2-0 ahead at halftime thanks to goals by Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. At times, it was almost too easy for City in front of an apathetic home crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
City then collapsed as a revitalized Tottenham fought back. Solanke bundled in Spurs’ first goal — appearing to kick the back of Marc Guehi’s leg, resulting in the ball dribbling over the line — and then grabbed the equalizer with a deft, flying back-flick that looped over City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the corner.
“The first half was difficult — we couldn’t get near them at times,” Solanke said. “The second half was a different story. In the second half, we were great and grew with confidence and belief.”
In the last five games, City has looked vulnerable in losing twice — to United and tiny Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League — and now spluttering against an injury-hit Tottenham.
“It is a setback but we are still there,” Guardiola said. “There are 14 games to go and a lot of points. We will see.”
Arsenal, a 4-0 winner at Leeds on Saturday, might not have a better chance to end its league title drought stretching back to 2004.
Villa played for more than half the match with an extra man after Brentford winger Kevin Schade’s straight red card for kicking out at Matty Cash in the 42nd minute after they had challenged for the ball.
In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, Dango Ouattara escaped down the right and scored at the second attempt for what proved to be only goal as Brentford weathered a second-half onslaught.
United squandered a two-goal lead earned by goals from Casemiro and Matheus Cunha, with Raul Jimenez — via a penalty — and Kevin scoring to bring Fulham briefly level at Old Trafford.
There was still time for Bruno Fernandes to send over a cross that was controlled by Sesko before he swiveled to curl home a finish in front of the Stretford End.
“It’s the best feeling, I have to say,” Carrick said about the kind of late winners United scored so often under his old manager, Alex Ferguson. “People leave here with more than just, ‘United won today.’ It’s layers on top of that, the emotion and the feeling, and it’s why we all love it so much.”
The match took place after a protest by around 500-600 United fans unhappy at the ownership of the 20-time champions, but the team is finally in a decent league position — fourth place — in its bid to return to the Champions League.
United is five points behind Villa with 14 rounds remaining.
Also Sunday, Crystal Palace — without star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta ahead of his possible move to AC Milan — drew 1-1 at 10-man Nottingham Forest, which had Neco Williams sent off in the 45th minute for a handball on the line. (JapanToday)
Arsenal settled fears of a collapse in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in 22 years by thrashing Leeds 4-0 on Saturday as Chelsea came from two goals down to beat West Ham 3-2.
Liverpool were also forced to come from behind to secure their first league win of the year as Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz shone in a 4-1 win over Newcastle.
The Gunners’ advantage over Manchester City and Aston Villa at the top of the table stretches to seven points as Mikel Arteta’s men took another step towards the title at Elland Road.
A first home defeat of the season last weekend to Manchester United capped a run of just two points from a possible nine in Arsenal’s previous three league games.
After finishing runners-up for the past three seasons, questions were raised over the mentality of Arteta’s men and their ability to get over the line in a title race.
The visitors were dealt another blow before kick-off as Bukayo Saka was injured in the warm-up.
But his replacement Noni Madueke played a major part in inflicting just a second defeat in 12 games on Leeds.
“A very impressive performance, a very impressive result, especially in the context that we’ve done it,” said Arteta.
Madueke’s cross was headed in by Martin Zubimendi to open the scoring.
Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow could then only parry another dangerous delivery from the England winger into his own goal before half-time.
Despite a fine run of form, Leeds remain only six points above the relegation zone.
Their first defeat at home since November was confirmed when the much-criticised Viktor Gyokeres latched onto Gabriel Martinelli’s cross to blast in his 11th goal since joining Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon.
Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to round off the scoring with a blistering strike four minutes from time.
Arsenal will be hoping local rivals Tottenham can do them a favour when City visit north London, while Villa host Brentford on Sunday.
Chelsea’s fine start under Liam Rosenior continued but they climbed into the top four the hard way after being outplayed by relegation-threatened West Ham for 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues were booed off at half-time by their own fans after goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville gave the visitors a deserved lead.
A third consecutive league win would have taken Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to within two points of safety.
But they wilted under the weight of Chelsea pressure after Rosenior’s triple half-time substitution inspired a transformed second-half performance.
“The reaction in the second half tells me that we’ve got something really, really special here if I can utilise the squad in the correct way,” said Rosenior.
Two of those introduced at the break, Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella, brought Chelsea level before Enzo Fernandez fired in the winner in stoppage time.
Liverpool climbed into fifth thanks to two of their big money summer signings beginning to return on that investment.
Newcastle deservedly led at Anfield when Anthony Gordon fired the Magpies in front.
But two goals in two minutes from Ekitike, the first of which was brilliantly set up by Wirtz, transformed the mood around Anfield and eased the rising pressure on Arne Slot.
The Reds rolled over a jaded Newcastle after the break as Mohamed Salah teed up Wirtz for his sixth goal in 10 games.
Ibrahima Konate then broke into tears after scoring Liverpool’s fourth in his first match since the death of his father.
Everton snatched a 1-1 draw at Brighton thanks to Beto’s 97th-minute equaliser in a result that does little for either side’s aspirations of European football next season.
Bournemouth ended any remaining worries of being dragged into a relegation fight as goals from Eli Kroupi and Alex Scott earned a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Wolves. (JapanToday)
Carlos Alcaraz is 22, he’s the youngest man ever to win all four of the major titles in tennis, and he had to achieve what no man previously has done to complete the career Grand Slam in Australia.
The top-ranked Alcaraz dropped the first set of the Australian Open final in 33 minutes Sunday as Novak Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th major title, but the young Spaniard dug deep to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
“Means the world to me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true for me.”
Djokovic had won all 10 of his previous finals at Melbourne Park and, despite being 38, gave himself every chance of extending that streak to 11 when he needed only two sets to win.
Alcaraz rose to the challenge.
“Tennis can change on just one point. One point, one feeling, one shot can change the whole match completely,” he said. “I played well the first set, but you know, in front of me I had a great and inspired Novak, who was playing great, great shots.”
A couple of unforced errors from Djokovic early in the second set gave Alcaraz the confidence.
He scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on the most decorated player in men’s tennis history. There were extended rallies where each player hit enough brilliant shots to usually win a game.
Djokovic has made an artform of rallying from precarious positions. Despite trailing two sets to one, he went within the width of a ball in the fourth set’s ninth game of turning this final around.
After fending off six break points in the set, he exhorted the crowd when he got to 30-30. The crowd responded with chants of “Nole, Nole, Nole!”
When Djokovic earned a breakpoint chance — his first since the second set — he whipped up his supporters again. But when Djokovic sent a forehand long on the next point, Alcaraz took it as a reprieve.
A short forehand winner, a mis-hit from Alcaraz, clipped the net and landed inside the line to give him game point. Then Djokovic hit another forehand long.
Alcaraz responded with a roar, and sealed victory by taking two of the next three games.
As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”
After paying tribute at the trophy ceremony to Djokovic for being an inspiration, Alcaraz turned to his support team. He parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the end of last season and Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team.
“Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy. I just chased this moment so much,” Alcaraz said. “The pre-season was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally.
“You were pushing me every day to do all the right things,” he added. “I’m just really grateful for everyone I have in my corner right now.”
Djokovic joked about this showdown setting up a rivalry over the next 10 years with Alcaraz, but then said it was only right to hand the floor over to the new, 16 years his junior, champion.
“What you’ve been doing, the best word to describe is historic, legendary,” he said. “So congratulations.”
Both players were coming off grueling five-set semifinal wins — Alcaraz held off No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Friday; Djokovic’s win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday — yet showed phenomenal fitness, athleticism and stamina for just over three hours in pursuit of their own historic achievements.
Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, his push for an unprecedented 25th has now been blocked by Alcaraz or Sinner for nine majors.
Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played some epic matches, including the longest match ever at the Australian Open that lasted almost six hours in 2012.
Nadal was in the stands Sunday, and both players addressed the 22-time major winner.
“He’s my idol, my role model,” Alcaraz said. To complete the career Slam “in front of him, it made even more special.”
Djokovic, addressing Nadal directly as the “legendary Rafa,” joked that there were “too many Spanish legends” in Rod Laver.
“It felt like it was two against one tonight,” he said.
At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles. He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days.
He’s the ninth man to achieve the career Grand Slam, a list that also includes Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.
Alcaraz now has seven major titles — his first in Australia along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens. (JapanToday)
Carlos Alcaraz overcame possible cramps and injury to fend off Alexander Zverev in an epic, momentum-swinging five-setter Friday, becoming the youngest man in the Open era to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam events.
At 22, he’s aiming to be the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
He reached his first Australian Open final the hard way, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in 5 hours, 27 minutes. It was the longest match of the tournament so far, and among the longest ever at the Australian Open.
That’s despite being two points away in the third set from a semifinal victory in a tournament where he hadn’t dropped a set through five rounds.
After a medical timeout for treatment on his upper right leg and massages on the same area at two changeovers, Alcaraz’s footwork wasn’t up to his usual standard for the rest of the match.
He was behind in the fifth set after dropping the first game but kept up the pressure and didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match in the 10th.
The top-ranked Alcaraz will next face 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles crown. The marathon afternoon match delayed the start of the night semifinal.
Asked how he was able to recover despite being so close to defeat, Alcaraz just said he kept “believing, believing, all the time.”
“I was struggling in the middle of the third set. You know, physically it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played,” he said. “But I’ve been in these situations, I’ve been in these kind of matches before, so I knew what I had to do.
“I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball. Extremely proud (of) myself.”
Alcaraz was leading by two sets and appeared to be in the kind of form that won him the U.S. Open last year and has helped him evenly split the last eight majors with Sinner.
But in the ninth game of the third, he started limping and appeared to be struggling with an upper right leg problem. After holding for 5-4, he took a medical timeout in the changeover. It may have been cramp, but he rubbed the inside of his right thigh and called for the trainer, who also massaged the same area.
Zverev was demonstrably upset, taking it up with a tournament official, when his rival was given the three-minute break for treatment.
Even with his limited footwork, Alcaraz was able to hit winners and get to 6-5 before the trainer returned in the changeover to massage the area again.
When he went back out, the crowd gave him rousing support. Zverev served a double-fault to open the next game, and Alcaraz lobbed and then slapped a forehand winner down the line to get to 0-30. But Zverev won four straight points to force the tiebreaker and then win it.
No. 3 Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, retained his composure despite Alcaraz’s obvious discomfort and the crowd on Rod Laver Arena being firmly behind the Spaniard.
He was in front for the entire fourth set but Alcaraz stayed with him, until Zverev again took charge in the tiebreaker. More than four hours had elapsed when the match went to a fifth set, the first five-setter on the center court in the 2026 tournament.
Alcaraz dropped serve in the opening game of the fifth set but hung with Zverev, getting five breakpoint chances without being able to convert.
The drama lifted in the sixth game when Alcaraz sprinted across court to track down a drop shot and slid at full pace for an angled forehand winner. The crowd went crazy.
Alcaraz finally converted a break when Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4.
He held for 6-5 and then, with Zverev serving to stay in the match, Alcaraz converted his first match point.
“I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz said. “It is something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.” (JapanToday)
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.
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.
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.
“I’m lost for words right now, to be honest,” said Djokovic, who dropped to his knees and was emotional when the match ended. “It feels surreal.”
Djokovic had lost his last five encounters with Sinner and thanked him for “allowing me at least one win in the last couple of years”.
“I have tremendous respect for him, he pushed me to the limit,” he added. “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.”
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.
It will be his first finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024.
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 U.S. Open in 2023.
It has proved increasingly difficult with the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have shared every Slam title since then.
Against 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.
He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.
Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping and Zverev made his feelings clear, swearing at officials.
Alcaraz said afterwards he thought he might have hurt his right abductor and it was the physio who decided to have a timeout.
The top seed played on with his movement hampered and he lost his first set of the tournament.
But after swigging some pickle juice, he clawed back from a break down in the fifth set as the crowd roared their approval.
“I rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won,” said Alcaraz, who is into his eighth major final.
“I just hate giving up,” he said.
“When I was younger there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or just gave up. Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling after all.”
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two U.S. Opens and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.
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.
His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men’s singles final at all four Slams.
In other action, wildcards John Peers and Olivia Gadecki became the first team to retain the Australian Open mixed-doubles title since 1988-89.They outlasted French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. (JapanToday)
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