Updated Alexander Zverev outguns Carlos Alcaraz in five-set thriller to reach Australian Open semis

Germany's Alexander Zverev stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz to reach the Australian Open semi-finals as a sublime display of serving took him to a 6-1 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 victory.

Zverev made a flying start on Rod Laver Arena, dropping just two points on serve as he raced through the opening set.

The sixth seed was rock solid to keep an unusually-subdued Alcaraz at arm's length and broke serve twice in the second set as errors leaked off the Spaniard's racket.

The pattern continued in the third set as the German maintained an incredibly high level but he faltered for the first time when serving for the match and Alcaraz played an astonishing tiebreak to prolong the contest.

A fired-up Alcaraz seemed to have the momentum in the fourth set but a tiring Zverev dug deep to stay with the Spaniard and broke serve at 4-4 before closing out his first ever win against a top-five ranked opponent in a Grand Slam.

He will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in Friday's semi-final.

A drained Medvedev scrapped his way into a third Melbourne semi-final with a five-set victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

Ninth seed Hurkacz, who was looking to make the last four at a grand slam for only the second time, twice fought back from a set down but Medvedev came out on top 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 after three hours and 59 minutes.

The Russian finished it off with a drop shot before blowing kisses towards his box.

Medvedev will now try to reach the final for the third time in four years, and he said: "I'm so destroyed right now. I was feeling very tired physically at the end of the second set already.

"In the fourth set, he played good, I wasn't beating myself up. I had no more concentration, I thought, 'I just have to try my best to do whatever I can. If I lose, I lose