Carlos Alcaraz overcame a frightening injury scare to defeat Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Japan Open tennis on Thursday (25 September).
Dead silence initially fell over Ariake Colosseum when world No. 1 Alcaraz went down 20 minutes into the match.
In the fifth game with the score level 2-2, Alcaraz’s left leg gave out as he charged forward from the baseline.
The near-capacity crowd held its breath as Alcaraz fell over on his back, clutching his head and grabbing his left ankle in pain.
He went to the bench to receive medical attention and managed to come back, converting his first break point to take a 5-4 lead.
Alcaraz then caught a huge break as rain started to pepper down, suspending play for 20 minutes to close the roof, during which he had his ankle taped up.
Alcaraz served out the set after the two returned to the court, and took complete control of the second set to win in 90 minutes.
More to follow…