[Singles – Second Round]
○ Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)  6-4, 6-3  ● Zizou Bergs (BEL)

■Carlos Alcaraz suffered a left ankle injury in the first round, but luckily had a day off before the second round. Regarding his condition before the match, he candidly shared: "I was definitely a bit anxious, but I felt great during practice and that eased my concerns. I decided I was ready to play. There’s still some pain, which is to be expected just two days after the injury. I admit I was a bit hesitant to move freely or go all out."

■Although his movement wasn’t at 100%, and he wasn’t able to fully showcase his trademark defensive brilliance, Alcaraz had plenty of tools to compensate. His powerful groundstrokes drew gasps from the packed crowd. When he moved forward and applied pressure at the net, Bergs faltered, sending a passing shot into the net. At times, Alcaraz forced the issue with aggressive play, but also scored with his occasional deft drop shots. 

■His overall game management wasn’t flawless. He was broken once after leading 5-3 in the first set and again at 3-1 in the second and analyzed his performance by saying "Because of my ankle concerns, I may have forgotten to maintain the smooth movement I usually focus on. Yet, despite being broken three times, he always managed to break back immediately, showing his resilience under pressure. Bergs, on the other hand, failed to capitalize on the rare openings his opponent gave him.

■After the match, Alcaraz reported positively on his ankle condition:
"It feels really good. I was a bit worried myself, but I felt great on the court."
When asked about his upcoming quarterfinal match against Brandon Nakashima (USA), he replied,"He’s a very dangerous player," and added "What I need to do now is take care of my ankle first. And if I can play as well as I did today, that would be ideal."

(Japan Tennis Assocation)