Carlos Alcaraz Survives 'Scary' Ankle Injury in Japan Open

To make matters more challenging, the match was delayed roughly 30 minutes as the roof was closed due to rain. Despite having time for his ankle to stiffen up, Alcaraz looked even stronger in the second set. But what are his chances of playing in the rest of the tournament?

The Spanish superstar was still shaken up by the injury and must now focus on preparing for tomorrow's Round of 16 match against Zizou Bergs.

When asked about giving fans a scare, Alcaraz admitted with a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I was scared, too. I'm not going to lie. When I planted the ankle, I was worried, to be honest. Because I didn't feel good at the beginning.

So I'm just happy that I was able to play after that, play such good tennis, and finish the match quite good."

He added, "I will try to recover, to do whatever it takes to be ready for the next round to try to play... It was unlucky, I would say."

With the victory, Alcaraz improves to 62-6 on the season. The importance of the ATP 500 Tokyo is not lost on Alcaraz, as he is competing with Jannik Sinner, who is playing in the ATP 500 Beijing, to finish the year at the top of the ATP Rankings.

As Alcaraz mentioned in his post-match interview, he will have just over 24 hours until his next match against Bergs. The two players have never faced off on the tour level before.

The Japan Open runs through Sunday, October 5.