Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating Jannik Sinner in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, early Saturday. Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who've been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he edged Jannik Sinner in five sets to reach the Australian Open final Friday.

To get that coveted No. 25, he'll have to beat the other: Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

They're both chasing history in Sunday's championship decider, with Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man at 22 ever to complete a career Grand Slam.

“There’s always, for me, also for Carlos because of his age and everything he's achieved, history is on the line for both of us," Djokovic told reporters packed into a small room deep inside the stadium in a brief interview approaching 3 a.m. "Finals of a Grand Slam. There’s a lot at stake.”

The top-ranked Alcaraz came through his own grueling five-setter. He overcame cramps and a sore right leg to fend off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours, 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.

That pushed the scheduled start of the Sinner-Djokovic semifinal back a couple of hours, and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 just after 1:30 a.m.

“It feels surreal,” Djokovic said of his 4-hour, 9-minute triumph. “Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back … and fight the No. 1 of the world. I just hope that I’ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him.

“For me, this is a win that almost equals winning a Grand Slam.”

Djokovic conceded he was lucky to even get to the semifinals. He narrowly missed hitting a ball girl with a reckless swipe in the third round to be almost defaulted from the tournament, got a walkover in the fourth round, and felt he was heading home in the quarterfinals when he trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets until the Italian retired with an injured right leg.

Djokovic hadn't won a set since the third round but against Sinner, the two-time defending champion, Djokovic was at the peak of his attacking and defensive powers. He fended off 16 of the 18 breakpoints he faced and stifled Sinner's opportunities. It ended a run of five losses to Sinner, and a run of four semifinal exits for Djokovic at the majors.

Not even a point penalty for hindrance slowed Aryna Sabalenka's run to a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.

The top-ranked Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 Thursday night to move within one victory of a third Australian Open title in four years.

A rematch of the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina was set up after the No. 5 seed ousted No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the second semifinal that was mostly one way until Rybakina had match point.

She missed three match points on Pegula's serve then was broken twice while serving for the match.

In the tiebreaker, Pegula had two set points but wasn't able to convert, and Rybakina finally clinched 29 minutes after her first match point.

“It was an epic second set,” Rybakina said. “I’m really glad I managed to win it. Jessica fought to the end. I’m just super happy to be in the final.”

All four players reached the semifinals without dropping a set — in Australia for the first time in 56 years — and Sabalenka and Svitolina were each on 10-match winning streaks to start the season after titles in warmup events.

Sabalenka kept both of her streaks alive. She hit 19 winners and broke Svitolina's serve twice in the first set. She finished with 29 winners to 12 for her Ukrainian rival.

As has become customary for Ukrainians against players from Russia and Belarus, there was no handshakes at the net. There was also no group photo before the match.

Sabalenka is the third woman in the Open era to reach four consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open after Evonne Goolagong and Martina Hingis.

“It’s an incredible achievement but the job’s not done yet,” an emotional Sabalenka said in her on-court TV interview. “I've been watching her game, (Svitolina) was playing incredible. I felt like I had to step in and put as much pressure as I could back on her. I’m glad the level was there. I think I played great tennis.”