Carlos Alcaraz conquered both an injury shell and a rain delay on a dramatic debut in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he defeated Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday evening.
Halfway through the opener, the world no. 1 collapsed on the floor with his left ankle and heel, for which they had to be tied, but later interrupted by a rain -reduction of 30 minutes before he served for the first set. Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz allowed itself to win in straight sets and safely enter the second round at the ATP 500 event.
“I was scared too, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz. “When I planted the ankle, I was worried, because it didn’t feel right in the beginning. I am just glad that I could play tennis well afterwards and finish the game pretty well. I will try to restore what is needed to be ready for the next round.”
After dropping the serve for 2-2 in the first set, Alcaraz stretched out for a forehand and stumbled backwards in clear discomfort before he collapsed at the field, cling his left leg and watching his team anxiously. While he was there, the world no. 1 received attention on the physio before moving to his chair, where his left ankle and heel were admitted during a medical time-out.
Alcaraz returned for the time being, but eventually picked up a part of his first-class shotmaking to seal the first set, which was stopped at 5-4 for 30 minutes. The 22-year-old Spaniard then reinforced the straps, and with his movement safer, he flowed through the rest of the game.
‘I couldn’t do anything during the first five minutes [after] I did it, “said Alcaraz, who improved to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2head series with Baez. “I was afraid that I would not have the confidence to end the game, but the physio came and did some tests. It was good that I could walk to the bank and that gave me confidence [to continue]. I try to have a warrior mentality in every competition, in every aspect of everything. ”
The next in his campaign is Zizou Bergs, which in-form Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) drove. The best -placed Alcaraz is this week with the aim of becoming a member of 12 colleague ATP No. 1 club members who have triumphed in Tokyo. He has a tour leading 63 victories and seven titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Alcaraz’s placed semi-final opponent Casper Ruud shook a slow in his opener to overcome the Japanese wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and keeps track of the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin. The former runner-up of Nitto ATP Finals is currently 13th, but he insists that the qualification for the season finale should not come to his mind.
“Not yet. Typical when we come back to Europe, there are only three or four more tournaments, so that is when you think about it,” said Ruud, who then plays Matteo Berrettini. “My goal is to have a good end to the season, and I didn’t really have that in the past, except Turin, [where] I have had some good results. There is not my strength indoors.
“Let’s look … It was a bit difficult to play today, far from San Francisco, but I am very happy that I could overcome it.”
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