Tokyo
‘Warrior’ Alcaraz survives injury scare in Tokyo debut; Ruud wins
World No. 1 received medical timeout during fifth game against Baez
September 25, 2025
Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz improves to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sebastian Baez.
By Jerome Coombe
Carlos Alcaraz overcame both an injury scare and a rain delay on a dramatic debut at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he defeated Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday evening.
Midway through the opener, the World No. 1 collapsed to the floor holding his left ankle and heel, which required strapping, only to later be interrupted by a 30-minute rain delay prior to serving for the first set. Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz steadied himself to win in straight sets and move safely into the second round at the ATP 500 event.
“I was scared too, I’m not gonna lie,” Alcaraz said. “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.”
After dropping serve for 2-2 in the first set, Alcaraz stretched for a forehand and stumbled backward in clear discomfort before collapsing to the court, clutching his left leg and glancing anxiously to his team. While lying there, the World No. 1 received on-court attention from the physio before moving to his chair, where his left ankle and heel were taped during a medical timeout.
Alcaraz tentatively returned, but eventually retrieved some of his first-class shotmaking to seal the first set, which was halted for 30 minutes at 5-4. The 22-year-old Spaniard then had the strapping reinforced, and with his movement more secure, he powered through the remainder of the match.
“I couldn’t do anything at all during the first five minutes [after] I did it,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Baez. “I was worried that I wouldn’t have the confidence to finish the match, but the physio came and did some tests. It was good I could walk to the bench and that gave me confidence [to continue]. I’m trying to have a warrior mentality in every match, in every aspect of everything.”
Next in his campaign is Zizou Bergs, who ousted in-form Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). The top-seeded Alcaraz is this week aiming to join 12 fellow ATP No. 1 Club members who have triumphed in Tokyo. He owns a Tour-leading 63 wins and seven titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Alcaraz’s seeded semi-final opponent Casper Ruud shook off a sluggish in his opener to overcome Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and keep pace in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The former Nitto ATP Finals runner-up is currently 13th, but he insists that qualification for the season finale is yet to cross his mind.
“Not yet. Typically when we come back to Europe, there’s only three or four more tournaments, so that’s when you think about it,” said Ruud, who next plays Matteo Berrettini. “My goal is to have a good end of the season, and I haven’t really had that in the past except for Turin, [where] I’ve had some good results. Indoors is not my forte.
“Let’s see… It was a little tough to play today, coming a long way from San Francisco, but I’m very happy I was able to overcome it.”
