Carlos Alcaraz overcame an ankle injury scare to beat Sebastian Baez 6-4 6-2 on his debut at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Alcaraz earned an early break in the first game of the opening set. Baez broke back in the first game to draw level to 2-2.
Alcaraz called a medical time at 2-2 to treat his left foot. The Spaniard looked to have suffered a serious injury, but returned to the court and broke Baez to take a 5-4 lead before serving out the first set 6-4.
Alcaraz broke twice in the first and fifth games and cruised past Baez without facing a break point in the second set.to close out the win on his first match point. “When I planted the ankle, I was worried, because it didn’t feel good at the beginning. 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”, said Alcaraz.
