Carlos Alcaraz battles through on testing day for top names at Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Lorenzo Sonego (Andy Wong/AP)

Carlos Alcaraz came through a tough four-set battle with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on a day of close encounters for the big names at the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic’s struggles will have given heart to his rivals but few are finding the early stages of the tournament straightforward, and second seed Alcaraz needed three hours and 25 minutes to defeat Sonego 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-6 (3).