Carlos Alcaraz raised concerns during his Japan Open debut when he went down showing signs of pain. Despite the scare, he won that match and then removed any doubts with a strong second-round victory over Zizou Bergs.

Still dealing with questions about his ankle after the incident against Sebastian Baez in the opener, the Spaniard had no trouble dispatching Bergs 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals, where he will face Brandon Nakashima.

After the match, Alcaraz said the day and a half he had to recover was crucial and praised his physio, Juanjo Moreno, for helping him perform at his best against Bergs. “It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could,” Alcaraz said during his press conference when asked about his ankle.

“I have said it

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