It may only be the second round, but No.2 seed Carlos Alcaraz will be afforded precious little room for error by Lorenzo Sonego, who won their only previous encounter. The Alcaraz vs Sonego clash is third up on Rod Laver Arena on Day 5 of the tournament.
You can live stream the Australia Open for FREE on Australia's 9Now service. And don't worry if you're away from home — you can watch Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
The Alcaraz vs Sonego live stream takes place on Wednesday, January 17.
► Time (approx): 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 a.m. GMT (Jan. 18) / 1:30 p.m. AEDT (Jan. 18)
• FREE — 9Now (Australia)
• U.S. — ESPN via SlingTV and ESPN Plus
• U.K. — Eurosport via Sky or Discovery Plus
• Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
The Australian Open is Alcaraz's last opportunity to go down in history alongside Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg as only the third man in the open era to win three majors before turning 21. However, he's never made it past the second round here, and his killer instinct eluded him in his opener against the veteran Richard Gasquet.
Alcaraz failed to convert any of his break points in the first set and went 4/16 overall. While he was still able to get the better of his opponent, and in straight sets, the victory owed as much to the 37-year-old Frenchman running out of gas as the 20-year-old's performance levels.
Sonego too lacked cutting edge in his four-set comeback victory over Dan Evans, a match in which the 28-year-old Italian's power did more than its fair share of heavy lifting. 23 aces and 68 winners bailed the world No.46 out of a few tight spots, two weapons that will come in very useful against the lightning-quick Spaniard.
Make sure you can watch Australian Open 2024 games – including the Alcaraz vs Sonego live stream – with our streaming guide below.
FREE Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams
How to watch Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams for FREE in 2024
If you're lucky enough to live in Australia then you can look forward to FREE Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams.
That's because the free-to-air Channel Nine and its 9Now streaming service have the rights to the action and will be showing wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament.
But what if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home for the Alcaraz vs Sonego live stream? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams around the world
How to watch Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams from anywhere with a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.
For instance, an Australian who's currently in the U.S. could watch the Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams on 9Now, even though they're not in Australia.
They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select Australia from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now and watch the tennis.
How to watch Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams in the U.S.
Tennis fans in the U.S. will need ESPN to watch Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams. The cable brand will have extensive coverage from Melbourne Park on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and the Tennis Channel.
ESPN is available through most cable packages as well as some of the best cable TV alternatives, including Sling TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.
Our pick of these would be Sling TV. The Sling Orange package starts at just $40 per month and comes with more than 30 channels including ESPN.
Fubo, meanwhile, costs $79.99 per month for 121 channels and includes ESPN. It offers a 7-day free trial.
And remember, if you're usually based in the U.S. but aren't there at the moment, you can still watch the services you already subscribe to via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch the Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams in the U.K.
British tennis lovers will be able to watch the Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams on Eurosport, which is available through Sky TV or Discovery Plus.
Eurosport comes with a Sky TV package, starting at £26 per month. Subscribers can also stream online via the Eurosport website and Eurosport app.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.98 or month-long access for £34.99.
If your cable TV comes from Virgin Media, meanwhile, Eurosport is included in your regular subscription.
Or you can get Eurosport coverage via Discovery Plus for £5.99 per month.
Going on holiday? Sign up to ExpressVPN or another VPN service and you'll be able to use the services you already subscribe to.
How to watch the Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams in Canada
Canadians can catch all the Australian Open action on TSN (in English) or RSN (in French), as part of a cable TV package. If you've cut the cord, a streaming subscription to TSN Plus starts at CA$8 per month.
Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.
How to watch the Alcaraz vs Sonego live streams in Australia
Aussies can watch the Australian Open unfold on Channel Nine and 9Gem. Their schedules are very fluid, so if big matches like Alcaraz vs Sonego don't air on TV, you'll be able to live stream them on the on-demand service 9Now. That's great news because 9Now is available for free; all you need is an Australian postcode.
Those lucky tennis fans Down Under also have a pay-TV option to watch comprehensive coverage of every court at the tournament, plus a number of other sports, ad-free on Stan Sport.
A subscription costs $10 per month (on top of a $15 Stan sub), after a 30-day Stan Sport FREE trial.
Remember, Aussies who aren't in the country right now will simply need to sign up to a VPN such as ExpressVPN in order to watch all the action as if they were back home.
