Murmurs around Melbourne Park had been building. That the men’s Australian Open draw had not met expectations in 2026. That matches had been one-sided, and lacking memorable moments. That so-called SinCaraz was a foregone conclusion. That tennis had lost its touch.

Murmur no more. In this year’s first match on Rod Laver Arena to go five sets, Carlos Alcaraz leapt off the canvas to outlast Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 over five hours and 27 minutes – the third longest match in Australian Open history.

It was so long it pushed the second men’s semi-final back more than an hour and left thousands watching on big screens around Melbourne Park. It was filled with more twists and turns than the Great Ocean Road. It was a duel that tossed expectation out the window, and then opened the door and walked out as well.

Walk? Carlos Alcaraz wished he could, when he was within a game of the match all the way back in the third set. The Spaniard appeared to be sailing towards victory, but cramping in his legs left him unable to run, swing or serve at full pace, and allowed Zverev a way back. Alcaraz took on fluids and received massages, including in a controversial medical timeout opposed by Zverev, and rediscovered his form.

But the German remained focused, and quashed Alcaraz’s revival by staring him down in the fourth set tie-break and then breaking early in the fifth. All he needed to do was rely on his potent serve and serve it out. Spoiler alert: this was not that kind of match.

A now refreshed Alcaraz threw everything at the fading German. At 3-2, Zverev saved a break point, but across the net the Spaniard looked the fresher. There was desperation in his voice when Zverev shouted “water” on a change of ends, as Alcaraz – despite trailing – pumped up the crowd with a grin and a fist.

At 4-3, Zverev trailed 0-30 again, soon facing one break point, and another. On his haunches between play, somehow he climbed out of the hole, time and again. He landed a clean forehand winner in the corner to put him one game away, but did not have enough energy left to celebrate.

The crowd were on their feet as the match reached its decisive game. The time was 8pm, the heat that had once sapped the world No 1 was long since passed. Zverev was serving at 5-4, needing just one more hold. But in an instant, Alcaraz had his arms aloft, level at 5-5 and then ahead at 6-5.

Alcaraz would not be stopped, saying afterwards he just kept the faith. “I always say you have to believe in yourself, no matter what you’re struggling [with], what you’ve been through, you’ve got to still believe in yourself all the time.”

In the end Alcaraz’s victory felt inevitable, even if the final break – on match point – was a point of quality befitting such an epic. Alcaraz lunged to reach a forehand and whipped it back past Zverev at the net.

When Alcaraz went up two sets to love he stood solid and saluted his team, and appeared to be waltzing towards the final. But within minutes he was unable to walk, bringing about the tournament’s magnificent twist.

He admitted he was struggling in that third set. “Physically, it was one of the most demanding matches I have ever played in my career,” he said. “I had to put my heart into the match.”

The world No 1 – who is now 15-1 in five-set matches – is now within one victory of a career grand slam. If he wins on Sunday, he will be the youngest man to secure one: the Alcaraz fairytale, to which Friday added a barely believable chapter.