Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to defeat third seed Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
A three-and-a-half-hour epic on Rod Laver Arena saw the seventh seed launch a comeback as he reaches his 50th grand slam semi-final.
Djokovic raced into a 2-0 lead in the first set after breaking Alcaraz’s serve early in the match.
It was a lead that ultimately wouldn’t last long for the 37-year-old, as Alcaraz immediately broke back to 2-1.
The pair would hold serve until the ninth game of the match, where Djokovic appeared to be struggling with a slight injury and was broken by the 21-year-old.
Immediately after conceding the break point, the Serbian took a medical time out after troubles with his left thigh.
Alcaraz showed no mercy when Djokovic returned to the court as the third seed took the first set 6-4.
As the second set began, the Serbian looked to have recovered some form as he raced into another lead at 3-0 but was once again pegged back by an unrelenting Alcaraz.
Unlike the first set, Alcaraz was unable to make any use of his physical advantage, and a break from Djokovic saw the second set go the way of the Serb.
The third set saw Alcaraz struggle with the seventh seed’s return to form, and as he was forced to rethink his gameplan Djokovic raced into the lead with another early break point.
Alcaraz was again able to recover to draw level at 3-3, but Djokovic broke once more to put him in prime position for the set.
A sublime rally between the pair on the final point of the third set saw Alcaraz smash a forehand into the net, which put Djokovic one away from the win.
The Serb showed no signs of the injury that plagued him as the pattern of early breaks on the Alcaraz serve continued.
Alcaraz searched desperately for the break back, which he thought he had earned in the fifth game of the set, but an immense display from Djokovic saw him seal the game to go 4-2 up.
The Spanish player refused to give up and forced Djokovic to serve for the match, which he was able to seal with an unreturnable backhand.
Following his victory, Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals after the German number two seed beat Tommy Paul earlier in the day.
What you need to know about Winterwatch