By Chalien Dantes 

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz gave fans a real scare during his Japan Open debut on Thursday, turning what looked like a routine first-round match into a rollercoaster. 

Midway through a tightly contested first set against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz rolled his left ankle with the score tied at 2-2. He immediately called for medical attention and had the ankle heavily strapped. Despite the visible discomfort, the top seed dug deep. He returned to the court, broke Baez for a 5-4 lead but just as momentum was building, his team appeared to signal for him to pull back. Before a decision could be made, the weather intervened, and rain suspended play.

When action resumed under the closed roof, a fired-up Alcaraz looked unstoppable. He powered through the rest of the match, brushing aside Baez to win 6-4, 6-2.

Next up for the US Open champion: Belgian underdog Zizou Bergs in Saturday’s second round. All eyes will be on Alcaraz’s ankle and whether he can shake off the scare.