By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday January 18, 2023
The Spaniard reached the third round in Melbourne, coming through an entertaining tilt with Lorenzo Sonego in four sets.
Photo Source: Getty
The first time Carlos Alcaraz met Lorenzo Sonego, in Cincinnati in 2021, it was the talented Italian that came through in straight sets.
Two and a half years later, so much has changed, and it showed in the pair’s second meeting as the Spaniard took the reins in a highly entertaining tussle and finished off Sonego in style, wrapping up a 6-4 6-7(3) 6-3 7-6(3) with a strong finish in his 200th tour-level match.
Alcaraz, now a two-time Grand Slam champion that has already held the No.1 ranking for a spell, is one of the most formidable forces in tennis. Sonego gave it his best shot, but couldn't tame the No.2 seed.
"I'm really happy with my performance today. I think both of us played such a great level, high intensity," Alcaraz said of their display in windy conditions. "Even if I lost the second set, I think I played a good game. We put on a show, both of us, making good points and some hot shots as well. It was a great match."
Alcaraz secures his second trip to the third round of the Australian Open, his best result thus far, and will face 18-year-old Chinese Juncheng Shang next.
Alcaraz didn’t face a break point in the first two sets, but he still found himself tied at a set apiece after an opportunistic Sonego pushed through the second-set tiebreak.
"I think probably I could do something else in the tiebreak," Alcaraz later admitted. "But, yeah, the level that he played, it was really, really high. It was tight, the set. I had my chances, my opportunities. I didn't make it, but he deserve it. I had to move on and started as better as I can in the third set, which I did."
The No.2 seed turned the tide quickly, racing to a 3-0 lead in set three, and closed it out in 36 minutes for a two sets to one lead.
After a trade of breaks, and some crowd-pleasing shotmaking, 20-year-old Alcaraz finished off the win with a strong push in the tiebreak. He improves to 43-9 lifetime at the majors overall.