Will we see another Alcaraz vs Sinner final at a major, or can the third and fourth seeds put up a serious fight against the two most dominant players in the world?<\/p>\n
Taking nothing away from Alcaraz, but I think Alex De Minaur made the Spaniard look better than he actually was, with the Australian\u2019s first-serve percentage dropping right off compared to his matches against Bublik and Tiafoe.<\/p>\n
Zverev and Alcaraz\u2019s career head-to-head sits at 6\u20136, although the German did bank a couple of wins in 2021 when Alcaraz was still outside the top 40. If you remove those early meetings, their hard-court record remains locked at 3\u20133, including Zverev\u2019s upset win at the 2024 Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Three of their four matches at majors have gone to four or more sets, and I think Zverev has flown under the radar this Australian Open. He can challenge at a price.<\/p>\n
After watching Djokovic\u2019s third set against an injured Van de Zandschulp in the third round, followed by the opening two sets against Musetti, it\u2019s hard to see a world where he gets remotely close to Sinner here. That\u2019s before even factoring in his injury concerns, including a significant blister on his heel.<\/p>\n
Sinner famously upset Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open on his way to his first Grand Slam title. Since then, the Italian has won the last eight sets between them, including straight-set wins in the semi-finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon last year.<\/p>\n
While Sinner has shown minor signs of physical issues, it\u2019s nothing compared to where Novak is at right now. Just look back to last year\u2019s semi-final, where Djokovic lasted only one set against Zverev.<\/p>\n