World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz stunned in Australian Open quarterfinals

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz was stunned in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing to Alexander Zverev in four sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, ending his quest for his first Aussie Open title.

The run to the quarterfinals was the best finish for Alcaraz at the year's first Grand Slam. The 2023 Wimbledon champion's previous best finish at the Australian Open was when he reached the third round in 2022. He missed last year's tournament due to a hamstring injury.

For Zverev, this marks his second semifinal appearance at the Australian Open after first making the semis in 2020. Before the tournament, he played in the United Cup in Perth-Sydney, reaching the finals on Jan. 7.

His win isn't without controversy. In 2021, his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, revealed allegations of physical abuse against Zverev in an interview with Ben Rothenberg.

Zverev is scheduled to go on trial in Germany in May on abuse charges.

Per DW.com's Jonathan Crane, "Zverev 'rejects' the allegations." 

In January, producers of the Netflix tennis series "Break Point" received criticism after Zverev appeared in the docuseries, and there wasn't any mention of his pending court case.

"But to completely avoid the Zverev story, seemingly just to get access to the man, is so disappointing," wrote Primetimer's Joe Reid in January.

As Crane notes, "In the absence of any domestic abuse policy at the ATP, Zverev has been allowed to continue competing despite the latest allegations."

He dismissed criticisms about participating at the Australian Open following his first-round match, saying, "Journalists are saying that... Some who are actually interested more in this story to write about and more about the clicks than the actual truth."

Zverev will play Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals on Friday. Per ESPN Bet, Medvedev (-160) is a slight favorite.