Aus Open Day 13 - Djokovic vs Alcaraz, for history

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Jan 30, 2026

Charlie Eccleshare, Tennis journalist for The Athletic, provides on-the-ground reporting from a chaotic Day 13. He breaks down Djokovic’s dramatic late-night comeback and Alcaraz’s 5h27m marathon against Zverev. Short, punchy takes on cramps, crowd influence, tactical shifts and whether either man can recover for the final.

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INSIGHT

A Day That Rewrote The Tournament

January 23 produced two epic semifinals that transformed the tournament narrative into a historic Djokovic vs Alcaraz final.
Nine hours, 36 minutes of drama repaid the tournament's earlier 'dud' reputation and energized casual fans.

INSIGHT

Djokovic's Late-Stage Peak

Novak Djokovic produced a late-match peak that looked vintage and decisive against Yannick Sinner.
That peak combined timing, movement and aggression to take control in sets four and five.

INSIGHT

Aggression Rewrote Djokovic's Playbook

Djokovic mixed vintage defence with unusually aggressive offense, hitting many forehand winners down the line.
That tactical shift forced Sinner off his usual game and changed the match momentum.

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The Dud Slam is no more! Catherine, David and Matt react to an extraordinary day as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both reached the final in impossibly dramatic fashion.

Part one - We start with Djokovic’s late night comeback victory over Jannik Sinner. How did he do it? What was new from him and what was vintage? And what more could Sinner have done on his many unconverted break points?

Part two (26:55) - Moving on to Carlos Alcaraz’s 5h27m win over Alexander Zverev, how did Alcaraz’s mid match cramps change everything and how smartly did he manage them? What part did the crowd play in Alcaraz’s victory? And how does Zverev reflect on this defeat?

Part three (55:51) - Sensation of the Day, doubles and wheelchair results, and predictions for Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina in the women’s final.

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