AO 2026 | 'Tennis meets F1': Alcaraz recreates Fernando Alonso's 'ICONIC' Spanish heritage pose after SF win

Carlos Alcaraz won the longest Australian Open semi-final in history on Friday (Jan 30) and became the youngest player to reach all all four grand slams final. Battling with cramps and losing two-set advantage, Alcaraz summoned his best to beat Alexander Zverev in 5-hour 27 minutes marathan match 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5. The Spaniard, after the win, also created the iconic pose of Fernando Alonso - the iconic Formula 1 race driver from Spain. Alcaraz will now face 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic for his maiden Australian Open title on Sunday (Feb 1) at Rod Laver Arena.

Also Read: AO 2026 | 'Legend continues to grow': Djokovic beats two-time defending champ Sinner to set up Alcaraz final

Alcaraz recreates iconic Spanish Championship Heritage pose from F1 driver Alonso

Alonso had won the F1 championships in 2005 and 2006 and made an iconic pose to celebrate his win - raising his hands with arms parallel to ground, head bowed and a leg bent at 90 degrees at knee level. Alacaraz, after winning the marathon semi-final, also created the same pose. Have a look at it below:

How Alcaraz fought back cramps to escape from Zverev

Alcaraz was two sets up at the start of the match, including coming back from 2-5 down in the second set, which Zverev defined as the biggest regret in the match. After winning the second set in a tie-breaker, Alcaraz suffered cramps in the third set and took a medical timeout about which Zverev didn't look happy. Alcaraz lost it as well as the fourth one too - both in tie-breakers though. The Spaniard, however, came back stronger and won the game, set, & match.

Moment when Alcaraz's win became almost certain

The Spaniard had already lost his two-set advantage after Zverev won the third and fourth set and the German was up 3-2 in the final set as well. Alcaraz was down 15-30 in the sixth game of the deciding set when he played the 'point of the match.' The 5-and-half hour thriller saw three sets going to the tie-breaker except first and last one, highlighting the epic battler fans and the crowd witnessed. Alcaraz will now be looking to win his first AO title and become the youngest to complete the career grand slam, having already won the French Open, Wimbledon, and US open twice each.