Japan Open: Alcaraz marches to quarterfinals, hails ‘best physio in the world’ after overcoming ankle issues

TOKYO: Spain’s six-time Grand Slam-winning sensation Carlos Alcaraz made it to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Japan Open competition, defeating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in Tokyo on Saturday.

Alcaraz beat Zizou by 6-4, 6-3 in two straight games to move into the final eight stage of the competition. The Spaniard had twisted his ankle during the campaign opener against Sebastian Baez and needed medical attention, stopping the first-round clash for 20 minutes or so. However, against Bergs, he was back to his most free flowing version as all he needed was 79 minutes to move past the Belgian.

Alcaraz was fine with his forehand and was sharp around the net, improving his win-loss record to a stunning 64-7 for this season.

Speaking following his match as quoted by ATP’s official website, Alcaraz said, “It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100 per cent. The work he has done for the ankle has been great. I could play normally, which is great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match.”

Alcaraz secured his career-best 65 tour-level wins back in 2023 and would level that tally with a win over America’s Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals. The world number one is chasing his tour-leading eighth title of the season and arrived at the tournament with a US Open trophy sitting fresh in his cabinet, beating arch-rival Jannik Sinner in the title clash.

Alcaraz also leads Sinner by 2,590 points in ATP Live Race to Turin, a ranking system which acts as a barometer to decide who will walk away with the year-end world number one player honours.

Earlier, Holger Rune reached her fifth quarterfinal of the season, defeating American Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2. The third-seeded player also reached semifinals in the Japan Open last year and would be aiming to replicate that when he faces Jenson Brooksby in the quarters. Rune is aiming for the second title of the season, having triumphed at the ATP 500 event on clay in Barcelona.

The 22-year-old is 14th in the ATP Live Race to Turin, more than 1,000 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who has the final qualification spot for the ATP Finals. (ANI)