Alcaraz overcomes ankle injury 'scare' to advance at the Japan Open

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

The world No. 1 said he was “scared” when he fell in the first set. 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.”

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.”

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