Carlos Alcaraz becomes youngest to achieve career Grand Slam, defeats Novak Djokovic to win maiden Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz, 22, won his maiden Australian Open today (1 February) after defeating Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final at the Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard dropped the first set but produced a remarkable comeback, winning the next three sets to clinch the summit clash 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

With this defeat, Djokovic will now have to wait longer to achieve the record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. Alcaraz, who was the overwhelming favourite despite Djokovic's 10 Australian Open titles, lived up to expectations. The victory marked Alcaraz's seventh Grand Slam title, having previously won two French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, and two US Open titles.

With this win in the Australian Open final, Alcaraz also became the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam, winning at least one singles title at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Alcaraz achieved the feat on Sunday, aged 22 years and 258 days.

Alcaraz just dropped three sets in the entire campaign in the Australian Open 2026. Before the semi-final, he hadn't dropped a single set. In the knockout game against Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz was hampered by a cramp midway through the third set, and this led to him dropping two sets. However, he somehow managed to reach the final.

The first set saw Djokovic take the upper hand, cramping Alcaraz and denying him time and space to run around. The Spaniard looked clueless in the opening set, and this led to the Serbian winning it 6-2 in no time, putting the pressure firmly on Alcaraz. The opening set also saw Djokovic pitch-perfect on his serves, leaving Alcaraz scratching his head for answers.

Alcaraz recovered from this setback almost immediately as he won the second set 6-2. The young sensation from Spain unleashed backhands and forehands, and his gameplay on the baseline was impeccable, which definitely caught the Serbian off guard. The second set also saw Djokovic's energy levels drop, a major shock for the audience and millions watching on television.

The third set began with a 10-point exchange, which Djokovic lost with a netted backhand. And just like that, Alcaraz marched ahead, taking a significant 5-3 lead. The task was cut out for Djokovic, and hence it was no surprise to see Alcaraz taking the third set, and the maiden Australian Open title was well within his sight.

Djokovic tried his level best to stage a comeback in the fourth set, and he kept breaking Alcaraz's game, but the task turned out to be too steep, and in the end, the Spaniard took the set 7-5, winning his maiden Australian Open title.