Carlos Alcaraz overcomes ankle ‘scare’ in Japan Open win

TOKYO — Carlos Alcaraz injured his ankle but recovered to beat Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Japan Open on Thursday.

The world No. 1 said he was “scared” when he fell in the first set at 2-2. Alcaraz rubbed his eyes and held his left ankle in visible discomfort.

“When I planted the ankle, I was worried, because it didn’t feel good at the beginning,” Alcaraz said. “I’m just happy that I was able to play good tennis after that and finish the match quite good. I will try to recover to do whatever it takes to be ready for the next round.”

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Alcaraz required strapping before continuing the match and securing a place in the third round.

“I was worried that I wouldn’t have the confidence to finish the match, but the physio came and did some tests,” he said. “It was good I could walk to the bench, and that gave me confidence. I’m trying to have a warrior mentality in every match, in every aspect of everything.”