Japan Open: Alcaraz survives ankle injury scare, advances to second round

TOKYO: Carlos Alcaraz overcame an injury scare to progress to the second round of the ongoing Japan Open competition on Thursday, beating Sebastian Baez in a convincing manner.

Alcaraz produced dead silence from the audience when he went down to the court 20 minutes into the match, needing some help with his left ankle, but nonetheless continued to script an easy 6-4, 6-2 win, as per Olympics.com.

Following the match, he said, as quoted by Olympics.com, “I think I played a great level of tennis besides what happened at the beginning of the match. I am just happy to get the win and happy that I was able to play until the end of the match.”

During the fifth game of the first set, with scores level 2-2, Alcaraz’s leg gave up as he charged forward from baseline and he fell over his back, clutching his head and grabbing his left ankle in agonising pain. The audience held its breath, waiting for the world number one to get up and continue. Alcaraz got proper treatment and continued to entertain the crowd, converting his second break point to take a 5-4 lead.

Alcaraz got some more time to recover as rain suspended play for 20 minutes and he got his ankle taped up. Following the resumption of play, Alcaraz was in full flow, finishing the match in 90 minutes.

The Spanish sensation, a six-time Grand Slam champion already, was worried about his ankle initially

The Spaniard said at first he was seriously worried but felt better as the ankle started to settle.

“I feel like it was unlucky. I was feeling good, and it was about running to a key drop shot he made in the fifth game, and that happened,” he said.

“I would say it saved me that I was going forward, and thanks to that, it didn’t blend all around. I was worried because, in the first minutes of playing, my ankle did not feel good at all. But then after a while, I just started to feel a little bit better. I could walk to the bench, which was a relief for me.”

“Right now I am feeling the same way which for me I would say is great because when it cooled down, I am feeling the same way when I was playing on the court. I think it is a great sign,” he continued.

Alcaraz is optimistic of playing the second round match against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs on Saurday, but is not committing to his availability a 100 per cent, saying that he will do whatever it takes to be good enough to play.

“I do not know, it is going to be an important day and a half I have ahead for me before the next match. We will see what happens. I will do whatever it takes to be in a good state, and I’m ready to play in the next round,” he concluded. (ANI)