Milan, 27 September (LaPresse) – Carlos Alcaraz defeated Zizou Bergs in the ATP 500 in Tokyo – 6-4, 6-3 – to claim his 70th victory of the season and qualify for the quarter-finals, where he will face American Brandon Nakashima. The world number one achieved this success without any alarm bells ringing from the ankle he injured in his debut, but it came at the end of a performance that appeared cautious in terms of the strain and stress he put on his limb. ‘It was tough, but the day and a half I had to recover was very important,’ said Alcaraz after the match, reflecting on how he managed his ankle injury. "I've said it before and I'll say it again today: I have the best physiotherapist in the world with me, whom I trust 100%. The work he has done on my ankle has been fantastic and I was able to play normally. At times, I was concerned about certain movements and their impact on my ankle, but overall I think I played great tennis and had an excellent match."
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