World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz delivered another dominant performance to beat a spirited Lorenzo Sonego in the men’s singles second round of the Australian Open 2024. Alcaraz equaled his best run at the Australian Open, storming into the third round following an emphatic battle in which the Spaniard left the crowd and his elder opponent stunned with the style of tennis he played.

Earlier in an interview this week, Alcaraz expressed that he, sometimes, plays shots to thrill the crowd regardless of the match situation and there were plenty of them on Thursday’s encounter at the Rod Laver Arena. Although Alcaraz lost the second set, he continued to play strong and won the match 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6. Alcaraz’s next opponent will be Chinese wildcard Shang Juncheng, who defeated India’s top-ranked player Sumit Nagal.

In his 200th match on the tour, Alcaraz has equaled Andy Roddick for the most Grand Slam match wins (21) on hard court among male Under–21 players in the Open Era. Alcaraz, a two-time Grand Slam champion, had remarkable tenacity in defeating Sonego, who found fresh life after winning the second-set tiebreaker.

One standout moment was an ‘around-the-net’ shot that Alcaraz executed with incredible precision. During a critical point in the fourth set, on Sonego’s serve, Alcaraz replied to a lob from Sonego with an incredible display of mobility. He dashed across the court and, at full stretch, fired a backhand down the line, slipping to catch the ball and sending it over the net post for a winner.

After winning the match, Alcaraz spoke about the conditions being tricky due to the wind, but nothing stopped the 20-year-old player from exhibiting a show for the crowd. I am really happy with my performance. Both of us played at such a great level. High intensity. The match was tricky with the wind and sun. Today was tough to play your best. Even though I lost the second set, I think I played a good game. We put on a show. Both of us made good points, Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz, who had earlier stated that he needed time to “get used to competition again” following his first-round victory over Richard Gasquet, showed no symptoms of rust against the strong Italian. The young Spaniard, playing in Melbourne for the first time since becoming a Grand Slam winner, has put down an early flag in his quest to win the Australian Open for the first time.