- German Zverev took control of the Melbourne semi-final by winning the first two sets
- But Russia’s Medvedev dug deep and took the next two on a tiebreak before prevailing
- He will face Jannik Sinner in the final on Sunday, after the Italian dethroned Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev will take on Jannik Sinner for the Australian Open crown after a dazzling comeback from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev.
In an epic semi-final in Melbourne that lasted over four hours, the Russian showed incredible resilience to win the third and fourth sets on tie-breaks.
As German Zverev tired, Medvedev took the deciding set 6-3 and will play Sinner in the final on Sunday after the Italian’s shock victory over reigning champion Novak Djokovic.
After losing to Djokovic in 2021 and straight sets to Rafael Nadal in 2022, Medvedev hopes this will finally be his year.
Medvedev positioned himself well behind the baseline to counter Zverev’s strong serve and extend the rallies, but he fired a series of early double faults that put him behind. He clawed his way back after two breaks to level at 5-5.
Daniil Medvedev came back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev and reach the Australian Open final on Sunday, where he will face Jannik Sinner
Zverev (left) was in charge in the Melbourne semi-final before Medvedev came back
The Russian silences the crowd at the end of the four-hour classic after overcoming Zverev
Zverev put himself within touching distance of a Slam final before seeing the opportunity slip away
Zverev struck again to move forward, raising his arms to great applause after winning the first set with a superb backhand volley, having created the chance by winning the previous point after an exhausting 51-shot rally.
The 26-year-old found himself in the net more often and broke for a 3-2 lead in the second set, effectively helping him reach the finish, but Medvedev did not give up despite looking like he had just run a marathon and the took the third set. put into a tiebreaker.
Medvedev continued to push hard in a tense fourth set and the 27-year-old ignored a double fault in the tiebreak to level the match before breaking in the fifth game of the decider and laying the platform for his great escape.