Daniil Medvedev recovered from two sets down for the second time this fortnight to beat bitter rival Alexander Zverev and reach his third Australian Open final.
The third seed was second best through two sets but won two tie-breaks before clinching a 5-7 3-6 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory after midnight on Rod Laver Arena.
It capped a dramatic day of tennis following Jannik Sinner’s upset of Novak Djokovic in the other semi-final to guarantee a first-time champion at Melbourne Park.
Having lost to Djokovic in 2021 and Rafael Nadal from two sets up in 2022, Medvedev will hope this is finally his year.
“I was a little bit lost but during the third set I started saying that, if I lose this match, I want to be prod of myself, I want to fight for every point,” he said. “I’m very proud.
“Physically and mentally it’s tough five sets. Many times in the fifth I was not strong enough. One month ago I wanted to change a little bit to try to be even more strong mentally. I’m still yet far from being perfect but I’m trying.”
The Russian, who will contest a sixth slam final, trailed Emil Ruusuvuori by two sets in the second round in a contest that finished at 3.39am, and also needed five sets to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in a gruelling quarter-final.
Zverev came through two five-set matches in his first four rounds, winning deciding tie-breaks against Lukas Klein and Cameron Norrie, but stepped up a gear to knock out Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals and continued in the same vein here.
Five double faults from Medvedev contributed to two breaks of serve in his opening three games but Zverev was unable to capitalise on his lead, Medvedev breaking the sixth seed when he served for the set as the rallies became longer and longer.
Zverev broke again in the 11th game and this time managed to make it across the line, with one 51-shot rally leaving both men gasping for air.
There is no love lost between them, with things reaching a head in Monte Carlo last year, when Zverev branded his opponent “one of the most unfair players in the world” following a tense clash.
That was one of six matches they contested in 2023, with Medvedev winning five of them.
Things remained civil here, but Medvedev’s frustration grew in the second set as Zverev really began to take control from the back of the court, breaking serve twice more.
The Russian pushed hard for a foothold in the match in the third set, moving closer to the baseline and exerting some pressure, but Zverev held firm until the tie-break.
Winning that gave Medvedev belief he could recover, but he was unable to find a chink in Zverev’s armour through the fourth set.
A double fault from Medvedev at 4-4 in the tie-break gave Zverev two serves for it but instead both points went to the Russian, the second a very fortunate return winner that scraped over the net, and an ace sent the contest to a fifth set.
Zverev’s annoyance boiled over when a wild volley gave Medvedev two break points at 2-2, the sixth seed smacking the top of the net twice with his racket and earning a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
He saved both but a third followed and this time he netted a forehand to give Medvedev his first break of serve since the opening set.
There were four hours and 17 minutes on the clock when a Zverev backhand over the baseline gave Medvedev his first match point, and moments later he was able to celebrate another remarkable win.
Zverev overcomes injury scare to maintain Italian Open charge
Alexander Zverev moved a step closer to his second Italian Open title with a hard-fought 6-4 6-3 quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz, overcoming an injury scare en route to the last four.
Zverev – who triumphed on the clay in Rome back in 2017 – produced a dominant serving performance against another heavy hitter in Fritz, but only after an awkward fall early on.
The German sought medical attention after falling on his stomach in the third service game of the match, the slip leaving him bleeding from both hands.
However, he soon shook off that knock and did not allow Fritz a single break point in a deeply impressive display, setting up a semi-final meeting with Chile's Alejandro Tabilo – the conqueror of Novak Djokovic – for Friday.
Data Debrief: Zverev gathering momentum
Zverev, the lone former champion remaining in the men's draw, is surely the favourite to win a tournament characterised by unfortunate withdrawals and shock defeats for the biggest names.
Seven of Zverev's 21 tour-level titles have come on clay, and he is yet to drop a single set in Rome this year. His three-year wait for an ATP 1000 title could soon be over.
Sabalenka overcomes injury concerns to reach Rome semi-finals
Aryna Sabalenka is through to her second Italian Open semi-final after a straight-sets victory over Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday.
The Belarusian, who recovered from a lower back injury sustained in her previous match against Elina Svitolina, breezed through 6-2, 6-4 after just 72 minutes on the court.
Sabalenka broke her serve in the third and fifth games, with Ostapenko opening the door with two double faults, while a single break in the seventh game settled the second set.
The second seed almost let it slip with her only double fault but came back with two big serves to close out the win.
Sabalenka will face Danielle Collins or Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final on Friday.
Data Debrief: Top 10
Sabalenka (10) has become only the second player to reach 10 or more WTA-1000 semi-finals since the start of the 2020 season, along with Iga Swiatek (16).
With Sabalenka joining Swiatek and Coco Gauff, it is the first time the WTA’s top three players have reached the semi-final at the same WTA event since Roland Garros in 2013 – excluding the WTA Tour Finals.
Sabalenka has spent the most time out on the court in WTA clay events in 2024, with this match bringing her up to 25 hours and 34 minutes.
Gauff sets up Swiatek semi-final meeting after downing Zheng in Rome
Coco Gauff will have the chance to down world number one Iga Swiatek after progressing to the Italian Open semi-finals with Tuesday's victory over Qinwen Zheng.
The 20-year-old breezed into the last-four draw in Rome after her straight-sets victory over Zheng, winning 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
Gauff faced just one break point throughout the match, failing to hold her serve at 5-3 up as seven-seed Zhen battled back in the first set.
Yet Gauff eased through the tie-break and never looked back from there on, teeing up a meeting with Swiatek, who overcame Madison Keys in straight sets in her quarter-final clash.
Data Debrief: Young Gauff powers on
No player has won more matches than Gauff (61) in WTA-1000 events before turning 21, since the introduction of the format in 2009, as the American moved past Caroline Wozniacki (60) with victory here.
Wozniacki (eight) is also the only player to manage more WTA-1000 semi-final appearances before her 21th birthday, with Gauff's last-four qualification here taking her onto six – one ahead of Swiatek.
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