Alcaraz advances after being pushed hard by Sonego in Melbourne

Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set for the first time in the tournament before recovering to beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (3).

With a strong breeze to contend with, Alcaraz was tested by Sonego before coming through in four sets and will next face 18-year-old Chinese wildcard entry Shang Juncheng, who ousted India’s Sumit Nagal 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

It’ll be the first time on tour Alcaraz has faced a younger player.

“He beat some big guys,” Alcaraz said of Shang’s run to the semifinals in Hong Kong earlier this month. “So I know he has the level. He’s already there.”

Arthur Cazaux upset No. 8 Holger Rune 7-6 (4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 before No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov beat Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australia, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 and No. 27 Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced over Hugo Grenier 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Two earlier matches went the distance before being decided in 10-point tiebreakers: Olympic champion Alexander Zverev fended off Lukas Klein 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7) in 4 1/2 hours and No. 11 Casper Ruud edged Max Purcell 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7).

“He played incredible. He was hitting every single ball as hard as he could from both sides,” Zverev said of Klein, a No. 163-ranked qualifier from Slovakia. “I didn’t really know what to do most of the times. To be honest, he probably deserved to win the match more than me today.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis