Daniil Medvedev said he was fortunate to get to his third Australian Open final with a gutsy five-set victory over Alexander Zverev, who revealed he was not feeling well.
The never-say-die Russian third seed was in a vulnerable position at Rod Laver Arena, but fought back to win 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5), and 6-3 after four hours and 18 minutes.
After surprising defending champion Novak Djokovic in the second semi-final, ice-cool Italian Jannik Sinner will face him in the title match on Sunday.
Medvedev has reached the final twice before, losing to Djokovic in 2021 and Rafael Nadal a year later.
It has been a long and difficult path back, with the 27-year-old surviving two four-set clashes and a pair of five-set contests before facing Zverev.
But he demonstrated his stamina once more, grinding down the sixth seed to keep his quest for a second Grand Slam title alive following his victory at the 2021 US Open.
He admitted he was “a little bit lost” in the opening two sets.
“But during the third set I just kept saying to myself that if I lose this match I just want to be proud of myself,” said the 27-year-old, who is into his sixth final at a major.
‘Fight until the end’
“I want to fight until the end, fight for every point. And I managed to win and I’m very proud.
“Sometimes you need to be lucky and today is my day.”
But it was a cutting loss for Zverev, who was bidding to make only his second Slam final.
He said he had not been feeling well since his stunning upset of second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
“I mean, I am a bit sick. I got a bit sick after the Alcaraz match with a bit of fever and stuff like that, so that obviously didn’t help the recovery, and I did play quite a lot,” he said.
“So, yeah, just loss of energy a little bit in the end of the second set, and against him, it’s impossible to play when you’re not 100 percent physically.”
Zverev raced up 4-1 in the first set, but Medvedev steadily increased his effort and scored a double break to tie at 5-5 as the match devolved into a baseline slugfest.
A third break for Zverev gave him the opportunity to serve for the set again, and he prevailed in a tremendous battle that included one epic rally of 51 strokes and another of 40.
He struck first again in set two, converting his fourth break point in the fifth game.
The setback harmed Medvedev’s determination, as the German increasingly dictated rallies, pushing him from corner to corner to consolidate and secure a two-set lead.
Medvedev stepped in significantly from his deep baseline position in the third set, changing the dynamic with a more aggressive net game that propelled the match to a tiebreak, which he won.
The fourth set followed the third, with nothing between the players until another tiebreak, when Zverev gave up on his serve two points from the championship.
An increasingly irritated Zverev survived two break opportunities in the fifth game of the decider before giving up on a third with a netted forehand.
It put the Russian up 3-2, and he consolidated on serve, leaving no way back for Zverev.