MELBOURNE (Reuters) - 
Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare and staged a remarkable resurrection to defeat third seed Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday, while defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka battled into the Australian Open semifinals.
Ten-time tournament winner Djokovic had medical attention for a leg injury early in the blockbuster match and appeared in physical discomfort upon his return.
But like countless times before on his favored Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic pushed through the pain barrier and reverted to an aggressive strategy to blunt Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 37 minutes.
Djokovic let out a roar when he sealed victory at almost 1 a.m. and he remains on track for a record 25th Grand Slam title. It was a disappointment for four-time major champion Alcaraz, who has never progressed past the last eight in Melbourne.
Djokovic will focus on recovery ahead of his semifinal on Friday against second seed Alexander Zverev, who overcame a third set stumble to defeat world No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1.
The German reached the final four of a Grand Slam for the ninth time as he continued his quest for a first major title.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2019 and again last year when he blew a two-set lead against Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev was patchy at times against the American, but dominated the tiebreaks before finishing the match strongly.
In windy conditions on Rod Laver Arena, Sabalenka overcame struggles on her serve to edge 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 53 minutes.
The Belarusian was broken five times and lost her first set of the tournament but dug deep to clinch her 19th straight win in Melbourne.
She remains well on course for a hat-trick of titles, a feat that only five women have achieved in tournament history, with the last being Martina Hingis in 1999.