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ALEXANDER ZVEREV’S REVENGE ON MUSETTI PAVES WAY FOR SINNER CLASH

Alexander Zverev beats Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Vienna Open final, setting up a blockbuster clash with Jannik Sinner. The German was dominant on serve, saving all break points faced to advance to his 4th final of 2025.

Alexander Zverev’s Revenge on Musetti Paves Way for Sinner Clash
Alexander Zverev - Photo Credit: REUTERS/Lisa Leutner

Jannik Sinner's opponent in the Vienna Open final will be Alexander Zverev, who defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-5 in straight sets. The German will face the World No. 2 in a match between previous champions in the Austrian capital, marking his 40th career final and his fourth of the season.

The Italian won the last three meetings, including their lone prior hard-court match in the 2024 Vienna quarterfinals, and easily won the head-to-head (H2H) 3-1. This time, though, Zverev solved his opponent's game and exacted retribution on Musetti. In addition, it marks his third victory of the season and his 57th versus a Top 10 opponent.

Musetti entered the match with great expectations, particularly as he is fighting for a spot in the ATP Finals. Even though his qualification for Turin is still uncertain, he was able to increase his lead over Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is in ninth place, to 440 points with just one tournament left. This gives him some peace of mind as the week comes to a close.

Following Tallon Griekspoor's withdrawal before their quarterfinal encounter, Zverev rested in the quarterfinal round. This time, the German served flawlessly, giving up no break points to his opponent while seizing two of every four possibilities he created during the match.

Zverev's flawless serving wins him a vital first-set break.


Both players were able to easily defend their service games in the opening, which was very evenly matched. With an impressive 89% of points won on his first serve, Zverev outperformed Musetti, who earned 82% of points on his first serve. Both had hardly scored points on the comeback as the score approached 3-3, but Zverev gained the lead in the seventh game when he got the game's first break opportunity.

In order to win the set 6-4, the German needed little more effort on the return and depended on flawless service games, winning 11 winners versus 7 for Musetti and 80% of all service points, as opposed to 68% for Musetti.

Additionally, Zverev wins in straight sets.


Despite Zverev's advantage, the second set saw little change as both players held serve with ease. Although neither player had any break opportunities for a significant portion of the set—just one deuce in the seventh game when Musetti was serving—Zverev was unable to seriously challenge his opponent's serve.

But the German three-time Grand Slam runner-up had the last few seconds all to himself. When Zverev was at 4-5, 15-30 in the second set, he had to deal with a challenging service game, but he then embarked on a strong run of points, winning 11 of the next 14 points. "Sascha" took the lead after a solitary break opportunity at 5-5 and used his service game to win 6-4, 7-5, to advance to his fourth final of the year.

Zverev will play Sinner in the championship game.


The first and second seeds will square off in a thrilling final in Vienna when Zverev takes on Jannik Sinner. Without suffering any significant losses, the Italian defeated Alex de Minaur in the semifinals and will want to win his fourth championship of the year. Despite Sinner's victories in their previous two meetings, Zverev currently leads the head-to-head record 4-3.

When they last faced each other, it was in the Australian Open final at the start of the season. Sinner won in straight sets, earning his third Grand Slam trophy, while Zverev lost for the third time in a Grand Slam final.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC LANDS IN ATHENS AFTER HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPEN RUNNER-UP FINISH

After a historic loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic returns to his family in Athens to reset for the 2026 tennis season.

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Novak Djokovic loses first-ever Australian Open final to unstoppable Carlos Alcaraz

After losing his first Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic just wanted to see his family.

Djokovic landed in Athens on Tuesday, wrapping up two weeks away from home and marking his 38th appearance in a major final.

For the first time ever, Novak walked away from Rod Laver Arena with the runner-up trophy. At 36, he became the oldest finalist in Australian Open history, but Alcaraz stopped him in four sets: 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The match lasted just over three hours.

This was Djokovic's first tournament in more than two months, and even so, he showed why people call him a legend. He cruised through the first three rounds and reached the last 16 without much fuss.

In the fourth round, Jakub Mensik had to pull out with an abdominal injury, so Novak got a walkover and saved some energy for the big matches ahead. But things nearly fell apart a few days later. Lorenzo Musetti took the first two sets in their quarterfinal, and for a moment, Djokovic looked like he might be headed home early. Then, out of nowhere, Musetti retired in the third set, and suddenly Novak was through to his 13th Australian Open semi-final.

Next up was Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champ. Djokovic had to dig deep. Twice he came back from a set down and eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four hours on court. He fought off 16 out of 18 break points and weathered over 70 winners from Sinner, proving that belief really does go a long way. At 36, he marched into his 38th major final.

Djokovic left everything on court against Alcaraz. He started strong, but the Spaniard found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets, racking up five breaks. In the fourth, Novak saved six break points early on and kept pace, even earning a break chance at 4-all. Then he missed a forehand he’d usually make, and just like that, his shot at a fifth set slipped away.

Alcaraz broke late in the set and sealed the win, handing Djokovic his first-ever loss in an Australian Open final. Now, Novak’s taking some time off to be with his family. He’s expected back on court soon, probably in Doha, but right now, only he knows how his schedule will look.

WHO IS SAMUEL LOPEZ? MEET THE COACH BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ’S 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN GLORY

Discover the touching moment Carlos Alcaraz saw coach Samuel Lopez receive a trophy after his Australian Open victory.

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Samuel Lopez is the perfect strategic fit for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something huge—he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets (2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5) to win the Australian Open. With this win, he joins the legends of the Open era, becoming one of the rare players to snag at least one title at all four Grand Slams.

Here’s the wild part: Alcaraz is just 22. Actually, he turns 23 on May 5, so he’s still got plenty of time. This marks his seventh Grand Slam title already. For a bit of perspective, Djokovic had only one Grand Slam trophy at Alcaraz’s age.

Since he’d never won the Australian Open before, Alcaraz didn’t really know the drill for the trophy ceremony. His coach, Samuel Lopez, got a trophy too, which caught Carlos off guard—in a good way. Their partnership has clearly paid off.

Talking to the media, Alcaraz said he loved that coaches get recognised with their own trophy. He hadn’t seen that before and thought it was a fantastic idea, since a champion’s journey isn’t a solo effort. Watching Samuel Lopez get his moment meant a lot to him. “It’s wonderful, and when I saw him there, I was so happy because I know Samuel has been working toward this moment his whole life. For me, he’s one of the best coaches—if not the best—you can have on a tennis court today. For me, it was a magical and incredibly special moment: hugging him after the last point and also seeing him there, with everyone recognising what he deserves,” Alcaraz said.

Not everyone was convinced after Alcaraz split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and started working with Lopez. Some experts doubted whether he could keep dominating the tour this year. But after Melbourne, it looks like Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. Even without Ferrero, he’s still leading the pack.

With three more Grand Slams coming up this season, it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. You get the feeling that we’ll be watching Alcaraz and Sinner battling for the biggest prizes all year long.

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