TOKYO: World number one Carlos Alcaraz shrugged off an ankle injury to beat Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday in a gritty start to his Japan Open campaign.
US Open champion Alcaraz crumpled to the ground chasing a shot in the fifth game of the opening set in Tokyo and sat on the court grimacing for several minutes.
The Spaniard had his left ankle heavily strapped during a medical timeout before gingerly returning.
He soon began to move comfortably and broke world number 41 Baez to take a 5-4 lead.
The match was delayed for a further half an hour as organizers closed the stadium roof with rain falling.
Alcaraz returned strongly and closed out the first set before breezing past Baez in the second.
“I have to see later if the outcome is going to be good,” Alcaraz said of his injury after the match.
Alcaraz is playing at the Japan Open for the first time and the crowd gave him a warm cheer as he emerged in a burgundy sleeveless outfit with platinum blond hair.
But their applause soon turned to concern when he went down injured halfway through the first set, with his reaction suggesting he may be unable to continue.
Alcaraz somehow found a way to carry on and went on to dominate the match, winning in 1 hour and 30 minutes when Baez hit a return long.
Number two seed Taylor Fritz of the US survived a tough opening test against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo to go through 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
Fritz, the world number five, beat Alcaraz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco last week.
Norway’s number four seed Casper Ruud also advanced, with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.
Number five seed Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic went out after losing 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro.
Alcaraz survives injury scare and rain delay to win Tokyo opener
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Alcaraz survives injury scare and rain delay to win Tokyo opener
- US Open champion crumpled to the ground chasing a shot in the fifth game of the opening set
- Carlos Alcaraz somehow found a way to carry on and went on to dominate the match
Pakistan captain rules out ‘major’ squad changes before T20 World Cup 2026
- T20 World Cup will take place in India in February, with Pakistan to play its matches in Sri Lanka
- Pakistan have recorded back-to-back T20I series victories over Sri Lanka, South Africa this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha set his sights on winning the T20 World Cup 2026, ruling out any “major changes” to the squad before the megaevent next year.
The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup will commence on Feb. 7 next year in India. Pakistan will play all of its matches in Sri Lanka as per a deal brokered by the ICC that allows India and Pakistan to play each other at neutral venues.
Pakistan have tried left-arm pacer Salman Mirza, brought back former captain Babar Azam to the T20I squad and tried fast bowler Naseem Shah and played several all-rounders in the squad this year, including Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf.
“I think our roles are defined and we need to give a chance in the next six games with consistency to this playing XI and those roles, so that we can head to the World Cup with confidence,” Agha said in a podcast with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“I don’t think there will be any major changes because we were keeping this World Cup in mind since the last six to seven months in the way we were practicing or selecting the players for the team,” he added.
Pakistan will next play a three-match T20I away series against Sri Lanka before they head to the T20 World Cup.
The South Asian country has encountered success in white-ball matches recently, winning a tri-nation series tournament against Afghanistan and the UAE in September.
Agha also led his team to the final of the Asia Cup later the same month which they lost to India. However, he led the Green Shirts to wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa in the T20I series against both countries at home later.
