Zverev in final after Djokovic withdraws

Alexander Zverev has qualified for the final of the Australian Open, following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal.

After a hard-fought first set lasting 1h22, the Serb withdrew, suffering from a torn muscle.

In a post-match conference, he declared: "Zverev deserves his first Grand Slam. I'll be there for him and I hope he gets it."

The German reaches the Australian Open final for the first time in his career, his third Grand Slam.

He will face the winner of the night session match between Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner.

Ironically, he said in a post-match interview: "What's going to happen is that Ben will serve at 240 km/h and Jannik will return that like it's coming like a butterfly. They're both excellent players.

Anyone who reaches the semi-finals of a Grand Slam deserves to be there. There's no easy draw, and I have enormous respect for both players.