Carlos Alcaraz survived his debut in Tokyo to win vs. Sebastian Baez. Casper Ruud also improves | ATP Journey

Tokyo

“Soldier” Alcaraz made his injury panic in Tokyo; Rud wins

World No. 1 won medical timeout in Game 5 against Baez

September 25, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz made his dramatic debut at the Tokyo Open Tennis Championships in Japan, overcame the panic of injury and the delay in rainfall, where he defeated Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday night.

Midway through the opening game, the world No. 1 fell on the floor, holding his left ankle and heel, which required a strap, and was later interrupted by a 30-minute delay in rain before playing again. Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz stabilized his victory and entered the second round safely in the ATP 500 event.

“I’m also scared, I won’t lie,” Alkaraz said. “When I planted my ankle, I was worried because it didn’t feel good at the beginning. I was so happy to play well after that and finish the game well. I’m going to try to recover to prepare for everything I need to do in the next round of preparation.”

After dropping a 2-2 game in the first set, Alcaraz stretched out a forehand, stumbled backwards, then fell on the court, clutching his left leg tightly and glanced anxiously at his team. While lying there, the world number one received attention from the doctor before moving to the chair, and during the medical timeout, his left ankle and heel were tapered.

Alcaraz returned temporarily but eventually retrieved some of his first-rate shots to seal the first set, and the set stopped for 30 minutes at 5-4. The 22-year-old Spaniard then strengthened the straps and powered the rest of the game as he moved more securely.

“I did nothing in the first five minutes [after] I did it,” Alkaraz said. “I was worried I didn’t have the confidence to finish the game, but physiology came and did some tests. Very good, I can walk onto the bench, which gives me confidence [to continue]. I try to have a fighter mindset in every aspect of each game. ”

The next in his campaign will be Chengdu champions Alejandro Tabilo or Zizou Bergs. The top seed Alcaraz aims to join 12 ATP first-place club members this week to win in Tokyo. According to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he has 63 Tour victories and 7 Championships in 2025.

Alcaraz seed’s semi-final rival Casper Ruud was shaking in the opener, overcame Japanese wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, and stayed on pace in PIF ATP Live Race to Tuinin. The former Nitto ATP final runner-up is currently 13, but he insists that the qualification for the finale of this season has not yet crossed his ideas.

“Not yet. Usually when we go back to Europe, there are only three or four games, so that’s when you think about it,” said Ruud, who next played Matteo Berrettini. “My goal is to have a good ending in the season, except for Turin, I haven’t really had a season-ending ending in the past, [where] I have some good results. Indoors are not my blessing.

“Let’s see…it’s hard to play today, it’s a long way from San Francisco, but I’m glad to get over it.”