MELBOURNE, Australia — It’s not often that a man is able to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later, which is what Jannik Sinner will be trying to do Sunday when he faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final.

The win sets up a showdown with Alexander Zverev of Germany in Sunday’s final. Earlier Friday, Zverev won the first set of his semifinal when Novak Djokovic missed a putaway volley in a tiebreak. Djokovic retired on the spot, unable to overcome the muscle tear he suffered in his quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz Tuesday night.

Madison Keys turned pro in 2009 and had to wait for more than a decade to lift her first Grand Slam title. Alexander Zverev turned pro in 2013, and now he too has a chance to fulfill his Grand Slam dream.

MELBOURNE – Jannik Sinner played down any injury fears on Jan 22 after suffering from cramp in his Australian Open semi-final win, saying physical struggles were all part of getting through two-week-long Grand Slams. The world No. 1 blasted past Ben Shelton, admitting he was relieved to come through in straight sets.

The 2025 Australian Open has been a bit wonky for U.S. viewers thanks to the time difference in The Land Down Under. The men's final match between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will begin at 3:30 a.m. ET tonight (or technically, early tomorrow, Jan. 26).

The men’s final is scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch can do so for free through FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

Follow our live build-up, score, text and photo commentary stream for the men’s singles final in Melbourne at 08:30 GMT.

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating Ben Shelton of the U.S. in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) AP

Sinner will try to add to his Australian Open trophy haul when he faces Alexander Zverev for the championship.

The top-ranked defending champ will face No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the championship after rallying to win the first set and oust the 22-year-old American

Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame an early test against American Ben Shelton to reach his second straight Australian Open final, winning 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2.