Carlos Alcaraz overcome an injury scare to beat Sebastian Baez on his debut at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Alcaraz pulled up mid-point in the fifth game of his first-round match in a frightening moment.
After taking several hobbled steps, Alcaraz fell to his back and covered his face with his hands.
Potential trouble for Alcaraz 😳
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) September 25, 2025
He goes down holding his left ankle, but returned to court after a medical timeout with heavy strapping ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o4EbosKZAq
The World No 1 and US Open champion received medical attention and called a timeout following the injury.
Alcaraz received strapping around his left ankle and the bottom of his left foot but continued to play on, eventually winning 6-4 6-2 after a rain delay.
But the Spaniard admitted he is concerned by his ankle and revealed he thought he would be forced to quit the match. at one stage.
“I was scared too, I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said. “When I landed on the ankle, I was worried to be honest because it didn’t feel good at the beginning.
“I’m just happy that I was able to play after that and play such good tennis. Let’s see. I think it’s not going to be easy the next day and a half for me. I will try to recover, to do whatever it takes to be ready for the next round.
“It was unlucky. I would have felt a little bit guilty if I couldn’t continue and play some tennis for the fans so I just tried to have a good mindset and give everything that I have.”
Alcaraz played in the Laver Cup in San Francisco last weekend, his first tournament since winning his sixth grand slam title in New York.
A visibly frustrated Alcaraz spoke at length with his team during a rain delay after breaking Baez to lead 5-4 in the first set.
The match was briefly suspended due to the conditions, before Alcaraz wrapped up the first set immediately after its resumption.
In the second set, Alcaraz eased past Baez without facing a break to close out the contest in an hour and a half.
The victory improved his season record to 63-7, having won 48 of his last 51 matches.
Additionally reporting by Reuters
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