Day 10 of the 2025 Australian Open ended much later than usual, thanks to a typically epic quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic And Carlos Alcaraz. These two have developed quite a rivalry on the pitch over the past few years, with the 21-year-old Alcaraz continuing to solidify his skill and talents while the 37-year-old continues to fight the specter of time with nothing to other than a tennis racket and a sneer.
On Tuesday, it was Djokovic who won. While Alcaraz won the first set, Djokovic fought back and stifled Alcaraz in the next three sets, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic advances to the semi-finals where he will face the No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev Friday.
The Australian Open is Djokovic’s playground. He has enjoyed more success there than at any other major tournament, winning 10 of his 24 Grand Slam trophies in Melbourne. He knows the terrain, he knows the public and above all, he knows himself. While the rise of talented and compelling young stars like Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may make it seem like Djokovic’s time in the sun is over, he’s clearly not yet ready to enter the twilight of his career. He beats ultra-talented players like Alcaraz, who is 16 years his junior.
The era of the Big Three is over. But the Djokovic era is still going strong.
While Djokovic hit a major obstacle in his path on Day 10, it was a bad obstacle for the Americans at the Australian Open. A total of five Americans reached the quarterfinals, but the top-seeded woman and man both lost on Tuesday.
Seed #3 Coco Gauff saw his journey at the Aussie Open come to an end with his defeat against No. 11 Paula Badosa in straight series. Gauff was not passed by Badosa, but did not play cleanly. She committed six double faults and committed 41 unforced errors, compared to Badosa’s two double faults and 23 unforced errors.
Tommy Paul12th seed, also lost, beaten by the No. 2 seed who is chasing his first major trophy with great intensity. Zverev defeated Paul 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 in a close and tense match. Zverev dominated both tiebreaks to win sets one and two, but Paul then came out and dominated Zverev in the third set. But Zverev, who can play like a force of nature, came back and scored a quick victory in the fourth set to take the match.
The No. 1 female seed Aryna Sabalenka beat n°27 Anastasia Pavliuchenkovabut not without some trouble. Sabalenka won 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, but lost her first set of the entire tournament. And it wasn’t close either. For the first time at the 2025 Australian Open, Sabalenka was outplayed and dominated. Pavlyuchenkova failed to make much of a dent in the sets she lost, but it shows Sabalenka’s dominance can be broken under the right circumstances.
The three remaining Americans will then play their quarterfinal matches. No. 19 Madison Keys will face No. 28 Elina Svitolina, while No. 8 Emma Navarro will face No. 2 Iga Swiatek. This will be a tough match for Navarro, as Swiatek has been just as dominant as Sabalenka – Swiatek’s opponents in her last three matches have won a total of four matches. On the men’s side, number 21 Ben Shelton faces unseeded Lorenzo Sonego. If Shelton wins, he will play in his second career Grand Slam semifinal, his first since the 2023 US Open.
