Carlos Alcaraz showed no signs of struggling with his ankle as he beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open.
The world number one injured his ankle two days earlier during his first match in Tokyo. He fell to the ground but managed to carry on playing with his ankle heavily strapped.
There were worries about whether he would be fit for this match, but he looked comfortable on court and moved freely as he defeated world number 45 Bergs in front of a supportive Japanese crowd.
Alcaraz finished the match in just under an hour and a half. He now faces American Brandon Nakashima in the next round on Sunday.
Although he wore white strapping under his left sock, he didn’t seem limited by it. He did limp briefly after one point in the first set but quickly recovered.
Playing in Japan for the first time, Alcaraz impressed the crowd with powerful forehand winners and took the opening set despite being broken twice.
He started strong in the second set too, but Bergs pushed him all the way with a determined performance. Alcaraz sealed the win with a powerful forehand at the net that Bergs couldn’t return.
