Alexander Zverev fights tooth and nail to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

Alexander Zverev was stretched to the limit by a dogged Cameron Norrie before making it to the Australian Open quarter-finals after a grueling five-set battle on Monday.

The German sixth seed triumphed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10/3) in a match that lasted more than four hours.

"At the end of the day it's a Grand Slam and everyone is playing at their best here," said Zverev. "Cam has definitely been playing amazing tennis and I'm just happy to get through."

Both players were solid on serve in the first set until Zverev won a 16-shot rally to earn two break points in the 11th game, making the vital breakthrough when Norrie netted.

The German, who had won all four of their previous Tour-level matches, broke first in the second set to ramp up the pressure on his 19th-seeded opponent but Norrie then went on a four-game winning spree to level the match.

A single break was enough to give Zverev the third set and the roles were reversed in the fourth set as Norrie hit back.

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The scenarios quickly changed for the British number one, who dumped a forehand into the net to lose his serve in the opening game of the deciding set.

But he was back on level terms within minutes, breaking for the fourth time in the match. A wild forehand from Norrie in the seventh game handed Zverev two more break points but he failed to close the match. The deciding set went to a tie-break, which turned into a one-sided affair. Zverev raced into an 8-2 lead and he secured the match.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, setting up a showdown against Olympic champion