The German second seed lost in straight sets to world number one Jannik Sinner in Melbourne.

As he stepped up to receive his runners-up trophy, a spectator loudly shouted: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.”

The 27-year-old was accused of violence by his former girlfriend Olya Sharypova in 2020 and of domestic abuse in 2023 by Brenda Patea, with whom he has a child.

Zverev has repeatedly denied both sets of allegations and a Berlin court case brought by Patea was discontinued last year.

Asked afterwards about the heckles, Zverev said: “Good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment.

“I believe there are no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now.

“I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject again.”

In October 2020, former girlfriend Sharypova accused Zverev of violence and emotional abuse during their relationship. Zverev denied the allegations and said they were “unfounded”.

Sharypova did not press charges, and a 15-month investigation by the men’s ATP Tour found there was “insufficient evidence” to substantiate claims made by Sharypova and so Zverev did not face disciplinary action.

In November 2023, Zverev was given a penalty order and fined by a German court after being accused of physically abusing his ex-girlfriend Patea.

Zverev denied the claims and lodged an objection against the order, which resulted in a public trial.

The trial was discontinued in June 2024 after a settlement was agreed between the defendant and the complainant.

At the time, the court told BBC Sport: “The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence.”

The Italian top seed delivered in the decisive moments to win 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 against the second seed.

Despite an ongoing doping case hanging over him, Sinner has been able to block out the noise to claim a third Grand Slam title.

After sealing victory with a composed cross-court winner on his first championship point, the 23-year-old calmly raised his hands into the air before walking over to celebrate with his team.

“It’s an incredible tournament for me, I hope I can keep it going,” said Sinner, who is the first Italian player to win three majors.

The straight-set win was a demonstration of Sinner’s relentless baseline game, physical power and mental steeliness.

Zverev could not create a single break point in the match and grew increasingly frustrated as his game failed to trouble Sinner.

The 27-year-old German becomes the seventh man in the Open era to lose his first three Grand Slam finals, having also fallen at the final hurdle at the 2020 US Open and 2024 French Open.

After slumping forlornly into his chair, a visibly upset Zverev hunched forward and covered his face with a towel.

His runner-up speech was delayed by a heckling spectator who made apparent reference to past domestic abuse allegations against the player.

Zverev, who denied the allegations and had a Berlin court case brought by one woman discontinued last year, then addressed the crowd.

“It sucks standing next to this trophy,” he said.

“I was hoping to be more competitive but Jannik was just too good – as simple as that.”

Backing up the finest season of your career – and one of the most dominant in recent memory – is the challenge facing Sinner this year.

The manner in which he has swept to the Australian Open suggests he is more than capable of reaching the same heights that led to two major trophies, six more ATP titles, a Davis Cup triumph with Italy and an overall record of 73 wins from 79 matches.

What makes his achievements even more extraordinary is the unsettling situation surrounding his ongoing doping case.

It was announced in August that Sinner had tested positive for the banned substance clostebol, sending shockwaves around the sport.

While he was cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed against the decision and is seeking a one to two-year ban.

In a difficult time, the tennis court has become his sanctuary.

Sinner’s coping mechanism has been to try and “isolate” himself but his coach Darren Cahill provided a telling insight when he said nobody is “bulletproof”.

However, Sinner has been as close to fully armoured as he could have been in the circumstances.

He has swatted his way through the draw with relative ease, with the hot and humid conditions in his fourth-round match against Denmark’s Holger Rune being his toughest opponent.

The way he ruthlessly dismantled Zverev was a stark contrast to the fight he needed to recover from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev last year.

Calmly converting his first championship point – luring his opponent forward with a drop-shot before drilling a backhand past him – illustrated the ease he felt.

Being dubbed the ‘best men’s player not to have won a Grand Slam title’ is a tag Zverev is desperate to shake off.

As a teenager, Zverev followed older brother Mischa around on tour, but his talents soon saw him labelled as a prospective major champion.

Still the wait goes on.

From the opening exchanges against Sinner, Zverev looked more likely to break down in the baseline rallies.

He became impatient when Sinner targeted his more vulnerable forehand, with errors from that swing contributing to the German losing serve at 4-3.

Sinner demonstrated his all-court brilliance as he closed out the set.

Zverev finally buckled on a fourth break point when Sinner turned defence into attack, leaving the German only able to put a stretching volley into the net.

aThe venom of his groundstrokes were matched by his nimbleness of foot and sharp reactions at the net, before he clinched the lead with a precise ace out wide.

It was no wonder Zverev looked utterly demoralised and felt the need to go off court to collect his thoughts after just 46 minutes on the clock.

The questions continued to be posed by Sinner, though.

Even though he kept the set on serve, Zverev’s furrowed expression suggested he did not believe he could break down his opponent.

A cruel net-cord that swung the second-set tie-break in Sinner’s favour at 5-4 didn’t help either.

Zverev was left with his hands on his hips and angrily thumped his racquet into his bag after Sinner served out for a two-set lead.

The likelihood of Zverev turning the deficit around looked slim and a single break of serve in the sixth game was enough for Sinner to roll home.

Keys, playing her second major final and first for more than seven years, overcame the world number one 6-3 2-6 7-5.

Only three other women have been older than the 29-year-old Keys when winning their first Grand Slam title.

Keys, seeded 19th in Melbourne, clasped her head in amazement before sharing an emotional hug with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo.

“I have wanted this for so long. I never knew if I’d be in this position again,” said Keys.

Belarus’ Sabalenka, 25, had been attempting to claim a rare third successive victory at the opening major of the season.

After Keys secured victory, Sabalenka warmly hugged her opponent at the net before her mood quickly soured.

She smashed a racquet then covered her head with a towel before walking off court.

When she returned a few minutes later she received a warm ovation from the 15,000 fans on Rod Laver Arena.

“Madison was incredible and I couldn’t do anything,” said Sabalenka.

“Next time I play Madison I will bring better tennis.”

Patience can be a precious commodity in sport and even Keys thought her chance of winning one of tennis’ greatest prizes had slipped by.

The seven-and-a-bit years between her first and second major finals is the longest gap in the Open era on the women’s side.

After reaching the French Open and US Open semi-finals in 2018, Keys dropped outside of the world’s top 50 after struggling with injuries.

She returned to the top 10 in early 2022 after making the Australian Open semi-finals and also had a run to the last four at the 2023 US Open.

Keys was denied a place in the final of her home Grand Slam by Sabalenka – a crushing defeat in which she regretted playing “too safe”.

“I’m glad I’ve got you back,” Keys joked afterwards.

After another injury-hit season last year, which forced her to miss the Australian Open, Keys was unsure if she would “be able to do it all again”.

A bold move to change racquet manufacturer in the off-season has paid dividends, with Keys keeping her explosive power while playing with a level of confidence she previously lacked.

Beating Sabalenka was the pinnacle of a title run where has beaten a host of star names.

Keys also beat second seed Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, becoming the first player to beat the top two Australian Open seeds since Serena Williams in 2005.

That came on the back of previous victories over former Melbourne finalists Danielle Collins and Elena Rybakina, plus 2023 Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina.

Sabalenka was the pre-match favourite, having won 33 of her previous 34 matches on the Australian hard courts.

But Keys, a powerful baseliner, is one of the few players on the WTA Tour who has the weapons to damage Sabalenka.

The explosive match-up led to a gripping final where Keys won only one more point overall.

A stunning opening set, where she whacked 11 winners and had a rock-solid first serve, set the platform.

Keys was also helped by a nervy start from Sabalenka, whose once-unstable second serve returned to trouble her.

Two double faults in the opening game allowed Keys to break, while another set up a second break point in the fifth game which Sabalenka handed over with a sliced forehand into the net.

Keys continued to play lights out, thumping clean winners from the back of the court and also showing deft touches.

A bemused Sabalenka could only smile when Keys pulled out an ice-cold drop-shot on the way to holding for 5-1.

However, Sabalenka was furious with herself after a fourth double fault handed over another set point, which Keys took with a backhand winner.

“She played super aggressive. It seemed like everything was going her way,” said Sabalenka.

“I was just trying to put the ball back. I couldn’t really play my aggressive tennis and didn’t feel my serve that well.”

An exasperated Sabalenka felt the need to go off court after a 35-minute first set and, having tried to clear her head, was able to shift momentum.

Keys was unable to sustain her previous level, with her winners deteriorating and her first serve lacking precision.

While Sabalenka was still lacking fluency – illustrated by a long forehand that left her dropping her racquet in exasperation – she improved enough to dominate the second set.

A tight and tense decider did not produce a break point until the pivotal 12th game.

Keys upped the ante with some deep returning that Sabalenka could not handle, before sealing victory with a wonderful cross-court forehand winner.

“She played incredible,” said Sabalenka.

“I was trying my best. Obviously it didn’t work well.”

Djokovic, who was bidding for a record-extending 11th title, quit after losing the first set 7-6 (7-5) in 80 minutes.

The 37-year-old Serb had his upper left leg heavily taped after injuring it in Tuesday’s quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz.

“I did everything I possibly could do to manage the muscle tear that I had,” said Djokovic, who was also aiming for an all-time standalone record of 25 major titles.

“Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain.

“It was too much to handle for me.”

After he slapped a volley into the net on set point, seventh seed Djokovic immediately approached Zverev and shook his hand.

He waved to the crowd and gave them a double thumbs up, despite audible boos from some sections inside Rod Laver Arena.

Asked by Serbian media, external about the reaction, Djokovic said: “I don’t know what to say.

“People have come and paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get.

“From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to.”

German second seed Zverev is still bidding for his first Grand Slam title after twice losing in major finals.

He will face world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final after the Italian beat Ben Shelton.

From the moment Djokovic lunged for a drop-shot towards the end of the first set against Alcaraz and immediately grimaced to his box, there have been questions over his fitness.

Djokovic, as he has on countless occasions in his stellar career, somehow managed to defy the injury to earn a remarkable win against the 21-year-old.

But doubts remained how equipped he would be to play Zverev.

“I knew even if I won the first set, that it’s going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him,” added Djokovic.

“I don’t think I had that in the tank.”

Djokovic had not practised at Melbourne Park since Tuesday night’s victory, cancelling a planned hit on Thursday before spending an hour warming up on court shortly before the semi-final.

Djokovic did not practise between matches during his 2023 title run and later revealed he had a three centimetre tear in his hamstring.

He also won the 2021 title despite tearing an abdominal muscle in the third round.

“The very first thing I want to say is, please guys, don’t boo when a player is injured,” said Zverev, addressing the crowd in his on-court interview.

“I know everyone paid for tickets and wants to see a five-set match but you have to understand Novak Djokovic is someone who has given absolutely everything to tennis.

“He has won this title with an abdominal tear, he has won this title with a hamstring tear.

“If he cannot continue this match, it means he really cannot continue.”

Former Australian player John Millman, working at Melbourne Park as a television summariser, said the crowd’s reaction showed a “total lack of respect”.

He added in a post on X: “Novak getting booed off is a disgrace. Classless.”

Djokovic looked way below his best from the start of the semi-final.

The former world number one was fortunate not to be punished more by Zverev as he struggled badly with his first serve.

Zverev, playing passively behind the baseline, produced poor errors on the four break points he created in the third game of the match.

Two forehands and a backhand were meekly dumped into the net before he framed a forehand into the front rows of the stand on the fourth.

After three slogs of games spanning 23 minutes, Djokovic had three break points himself at 2-1 but could not take his chances.

Djokovic’s service games improved but he had to save another break point at 4-4, and the laboured walks to the chair and anguished facial expressions became more pronounced.

Nevertheless, ending the match early came as a shock to most of the 15,000 crowd on Rod Laver Arena – and Zverev himself.

Asked if he had any indication Djokovic was struggling, Zverev laughed: “No, I actually thought it was a high-level set.

“Of course there were some difficulties and the longer you continue maybe the worse it gets.

“Maybe in the tie-break he was not moving as well, but I thought we had extremely long, physical rallies.”

Yet when Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa take to the court for their Australian Open semi-final on Thursday, it may only add to the pressure.

The pair are close friends with Sabalenka going so far as to call Badosa her “soulmate” in Stuttgart last year.

“I love Paula very much,” the 26-year-old Belarusian said.

“She is an incredible person. It is very important to have friends on the circuit, so when you find someone who you feel is your soulmate, it is the best thing that can happen to you.”

Their friendship has grown over the past few years with the pair practising together and wearing matching outfits during the 2024 US Open, as well as posting about each other on social media.

“We realised that we had very similar personalities and we get along very well, and that we’re both very, very competitive,” Badosa told the Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast, external in March.

“It’s very nice for me having a friend on tour because it’s very tough to find.”

But with a place in the final at stake, that friendship will have to be put on hold in Melbourne.

This is not the first meeting between the two – they have played eight times before, with Sabalenka winning the past six – but it is comfortably the most high-profile.

World number one Sabalenka is bidding to win a third straight Australian Open title, while it is 27-year-old Badosa’s first time in the last four of a Grand Slam.

The Spaniard shocked sixth seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals as her remarkable recovery from a back injury, that she feared would force her to retire only a year ago, continues.

“It’s tough to play your best friend,” Sabalenka said after beating Badosa in Stuttgart.

However, difficult as it may be, once they walk out on Rod Laver Arena, all sentiment will be put to one side.

“We know how to separate things,” Badosa added.

“We decided a long time ago that off the court we are friends, while on the court she really wants to win, I really want to win,” said Sabalenka, who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals.

“So on the court we are competitors and there is no place for friendship.”

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will take on American Madison Keys in Thursday’s second semi-final.

For Polish second seed Swiatek, it is a chance to improve on a disappointing record at Melbourne Park with this just the second time she has progressed beyond the fourth round.

“This is something that I always wanted to improve,” she said.

“It’s not like I need to prove it to other people. It’s more that I need to kind of believe. I feel I believe more now.”

Big-hitting Keys, seeded 19th, will provide a stern test for Swiatek, who has had issues against such players in the past.

The former world number one has won four of her five matches against Keys but three of those victories came on her favoured clay surface. On hard courts, they have won one match apiece.

Keys, who has won her past 10 matches and triumphed at the Adelaide Open earlier this month, has a point to prove after coming up short at majors over the years.

Victory over Swiatek would put the 29-year-old through to a second final – and her first since 2017 at the US Open.

“There have been periods of my career where it felt like if I didn’t win [a Grand Slam], then I hadn’t done enough, and I didn’t live up to my potential in all of that,” Keys said.

“That took a lot of the fun out of the game, and there were times where it felt paralysing out on the court because it felt as if I needed it to happen instead of giving myself the opportunity to go out and potentially do it.”

The world number one is attempting to become the first woman since Martina Hingis 26 years ago to complete a ‘three-peat’ at the hard-court Grand Slam.

After racing through the first set, Sabalanka’s title hopes were left hanging by a thread as Pavlyuchenkova swept up the second and broke early in the decider.

But the Belarusian kept her cool to fight back and wrap up a 6-2 2-6 6-3 win.

“I think it is good to have these tough battles and be tougher in the later stages of the tournament,” Sabalenka said.

“I was all over the place. I’m really glad that at some point I was able to put myself back together.”

It is the first time Sabalenka has dropped a set at the Australian Open since the 2023 final, where she fought back to beat Elena Rybakina and win her first major singles title.

The top seed said she “can’t wait” to face her friend Paula Badosa in the last four after the Spaniard stunned third seed Coco Gauff earlier on Tuesday.

A 10th career Grand Slam semi-final for Sabalenka was starting to look unlikely at the start of the third set.

Sabalenka’s serve wavered and Pavlyuchenkova broke five times in a row to take the second set and go up a break in the third.

But despite having momentum on her side, the Russian 27th seed could not make the most of her early lead, and Sabalenka levelled immediately.

The three-time major winner settled herself with a hold to go 3-2 up, claimed a crucial break for a 5-3 lead before serving out a 19th successive victory at Melbourne Park.

Sabalenka, who has reached the semi-finals in eight of her past nine Grand Slam appearances, joked afterwards that she would make her team get tiger tattoos if she won the Melbourne title.

The 26-year-old said the tattoo of a tiger on her forearm is a “reminder of never giving up, staying aggressive, staying hungry and pushing myself no matter what is going on in life.”

She added: “If I win the Australian Open, which hopefully I do fingers crossed, we are going to celebrate.

“Then I’m going to call a tattoo specialist so they wake up with a tiger tattoo.”

Former French Open finalist Pavlyuchenkova, however, suffered an eighth Grand Slam quarter-final defeat in nine attempts.

The 33-year-old said she felt “completely off” during a first set in which she failed to bring up a single break point.

“I thought, it’s just embarrassing. I cannot really play tennis,” Pavlyuchenkova added.

The 37-year-old Serb defied injury, age and ranking to win 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 against his 21-year-old opponent in Melbourne.

“It was possibly one of the best matches of the tournament on the men’s side,” said Djokovic.

“It felt like a final of a Slam and I wish it was. We both gave it our all.”

Djokovic, going for a record-extending 11th men’s singles title, limped around Rod Laver Arena at the end of the first set with a problem in his upper left leg.

But, after going off court for treatment, he recovered impressively to continue his bid for a 25th Grand Slam triumph – which would be an all-time record.

Djokovic played aggressively until the pain wore off, which then allowed him to move more freely and take control.

Spanish third seed Alcaraz became increasingly animated as he struggled to figure out how to turn an engrossing contest back in his favour.

When seventh seed Djokovic sealed victory – at 00:57 local time after a battle lasting three hours and 38 minutes – he roared towards coach Andy Murray.

Djokovic and Alcaraz shared a warm embrace at the net after a highly-anticipated match which lived up to the expectation.

“When Novak plays at this level, it’s really difficult. It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz.

The defeat ends Alcaraz’s hopes – for now, at least – of becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Instead it is Djokovic who advances to the semi-finals, where he will face German second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday.

For so many years, Djokovic has defied the ageing process with his endurance and dexterity.

This was the latest example – at a time when few had predicted it.

Time, it seemed, had eventually started to catch up with a player who is aiming to become the oldest Grand Slam men’s singles champion in history.

Last year was the first since 2017 – and only the second since 2010 – that he did not win one of the sport’s four major prizes.

Doubts had already been raised about his ability to outlast the very best of his younger opponents – namely Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner – over five sets.

His aura of invincibility at Melbourne Park was damaged last year when Sinner dominated their semi-final to end his 33-match winning streak at the venue.

Then Alcaraz walloped him in the Wimbledon final – albeit in a match that came less than six weeks after Djokovic had surgery on a tear in his knee.

However, Djokovic won his last encounter with Alcaraz, putting in a ferocious display at the Olympics to claim a gold medal which had previously eluded him.

A more patient approach in the first set on Tuesday was quickly replaced after he tweaked something lunging for a drop-shot.

Employing more aggression was a risk-reward strategy but necessary given his physical condition. It paid off.

Djokovic cracked 11 winners, including a rasping backhand on set point to level the match, as he successfully negotiated his way through a barrage of Alcaraz drop-shots.

Alcaraz’s service games at the start of the third set continued to come under heavy fire. He buckled when Djokovic broke for 4-2, with the third seed losing serve again for 5-3 after he had seemingly rescued the situation.

Djokovic used the momentum to break in the first game of the fourth set – which ultimately proved decisive.

After surviving three break points and recovering from a host of long, energy-sapping points, Djokovic held his nerve to serve out a memorable win.

On being ready to play again on Friday, he said: “I’m concerned physically but if I can somehow manage to be physically ready, I’m mentally and emotionally as ready as I can be.”

While many thought Djokovic was the underdog going into Tuesday’s match, Alcaraz knew the size of the task he faced.

The four-time major champion pointed to Djokovic’s greater experience and his “unbelievable” fitness, but insisted he would not be daunted by facing the man widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.

After a nervy start, he warmed to his task.

The intensity of Alcaraz’s game, returning from seemingly-impossible positions with venomous power, seemed to take a toll on Djokovic.

But the younger player became befuddled as Djokovic’s aggressive tactics, which particularly targeted Alcaraz’s backhand, paid dividends.

“I felt like I was controlling the match and I let him get into it again,” said Alcaraz, who has not gone past the quarter-finals in four Melbourne appearances.

“I’m going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made.

“In the second set I had to play a little bit better just to push him even more to the limit.”

The 37-year-old Serb, who is gunning for a record 25th Grand Slam title, beat the 24th seed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

It sent him into the last eight at Melbourne Park for the 15th time, a record he now shares with Roger Federer and one ahead of Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe.

The win also extended his own all-time mark to 61 for most quarterfinal appearances at majors, three ahead of the Swiss great.

His reward is a showdown on Tuesday with third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is already a four-time Slam winner aged 21 but has never gone beyond the Australian Open quarterfinals.

“We had some long battles, long exchanges,” said Djokovic, who stopped only very briefly for the post-match on-court interview, his hasty retreat getting some boos from the crowd.

“The  kind of matches that I played against him remind me of my match-ups versus Nadal in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court.

“He’s a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented. Charismatic player. Great to watch – not that great to play against,” he added with a smile.

Alcaraz, from Spain, set up the clash with Djokovic after Briton Jack Draper retired during their last-16 match when losing 7-5, 6-1.

“Being in a quarterfinal, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see,” said Alcaraz of Djokovic.

“When we are seeing him playing, he seems like he’s young again, so … It’s unbelievable. He’s in a really good shape.”

But Alcaraz added: “I’m just ready and I know what I have to do in quarterfinals.”

Djokovic and Alcaraz have played each other seven times, with the Serb leading 4-3, including a victory in their last clash in the Paris 2024 Olympics final.

They have crossed paths at Grand Slams three times, twice in the Wimbledon decider with the Spaniard winning on both occasions.

But they have never played at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic has achieved his greatest success.

Lehecka won the lead-up Brisbane International event, where Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals, but he was never seriously in the reckoning on the big stage.

Djokovic quickly put pressure on his serve and achieved a break in the eighth game of set one when the Czech sent down a double fault.

Another break on Lehecka’s opening serve set the tone for set two, with Djokovic dominating from the baseline.

The young Czech changed tactics in a closer set three, pushing Djokovic to the net more while picking up his serving intensity.

It went to a tiebreak where the Serb produced some stunning shots to seal the win.

Against Draper, Alcaraz was well on top when the Briton pulled the pin on a sweltering afternoon because of “multiple areas really in pain”.

The 15th seed Draper needed five sets to win his first three Melbourne matches, rallying from behind in all of them to stay in the tournament, and it finally caught up with him.

“It’s not the way I wanted to win. But obviously, I’m happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia,” said Alcaraz.

“Physically, I’m feeling great. So coming into the second week of a Grand Slam, it is important to feel well physically because right now the matches are even tougher.”