Zverev hands Alcaraz a Major lesson, faces Medvedev in semis

Alcaraz was the favourite but the German showed why he is one of the most highly regarded players on the circuit

- Ashish Magotra

Coming into the Australian Open quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev was was 0-10 against the top-5 in the world at Grand Slams. He would reach the second week of the tournament and then succumb to pressure; to nerves; to his own expectations.

So even before the match began, many didn't give him a chance. Zverev had the better serve but Alcaraz had energy, the all-court game, the better return and had spent almost five hours less on court. And if you thought otherwise, they pointed to his record against the top players in the best of five sets encounters. It made sense. But then sport is all about second chances and the 26-year-old proved that as he cruised to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 victory on Wednesday.

Everyone, including those at the Rod Laver Arena, couldn't believe their eyes when the lanky German sped to a 3-0 lead in eight minutes and then wrapped up the first set 6-1, in only 29 minutes.

It all seemed to have come together for Zverev -- his serve was firing, the backhand down the line was working well and even his normally erratic forehand was getting the job done. It was all very business-like and professional. This was the version of Zverev who had been anointed as Federer's successor by many. The leader of Gen Next.