TENNIS
Carlos Alcaraz beats Lorenzo Sonego: who and when does he play next at the Australian Open 2024?
The second seed is through to the third round in Melbourne as he chases his third Grand Slam victory.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz is through to the third round of the 2024 Australian Open after seeing off the challenge of world number 46 Lorenzo Sonego in windy conditions at the Rod Laver Arena in the 200th match of his career.
The Spaniard took almost three and a half hours to defeat his opponent in four sets, gaining revenge for the pair’s only previous meeting at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters, which the Italian won in three.
Three breaks of serve enough for Alcaraz to progress
After taking the first set 6-4 with a single break of serve, Alcaraz was pegged back in the second, which stayed on service and Sonego took via tiebreak. The 20-year-old then took control of the third by breaking early on and served out for a 6-3 win.
The final set was initially a little less predictable, with one break apiece in the opening two games. Server domination resumed for the remainder of the set, with Alcaraz this time taking the tiebreak to win in four.
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Teenager Juncheng Shang up next for Wimbledon champion
The 2022 US Open winner will now take on Juncheng Shang in the third round after the Chinese teenager, the world number 140, saw off Sumit Nagal in round two. Despite Alcaraz’s Grand Slam success at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, he has never gone further than the third round at Melbourne Park, although this is only his third appearance in the Australian Open.
The match between Alcaraz and Shang is scheduled to take place on Saturday 20 January, but tournament organisers have yet to indicate at what time it is likely to be played.
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