World number one Carlos Alcaraz admitted he was “scared” after suffering an ankle injury during his first-round victory at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday.
The top seed twisted his left ankle with the opening set level at 2-2 against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez. He required treatment from the physio and had the ankle heavily strapped before resuming play.
Alcaraz managed to break Baez for a 5-4 lead, though there was clear concern from his team, who appeared to signal for him to stop. A rain delay soon followed, temporarily suspending the match.
Once play resumed under the closed roof, the Spaniard took control and went on to win 6-4 6-2.
“I was scared too, I’m not going to lie,” said the six-time Grand Slam champion. “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.”
Alcaraz will face Belgian Zizou Bergs in the second round on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Briton Sonay Kartal enjoyed a straight-sets win over American Alycia Parks in the opening round of the China Open in Beijing.
Kartal, who recently impressed for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, won 6-3 6-2 against the world number 60.
The 23-year-old, currently ranked 81 after her Jasmin Open points dropped off, broke Parks three times during the match. She now faces 14th seed Daria Kasatkina in the second round on Saturday.
