Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz showed no ill effects from a recent ankle injury on Sunday, securing a dominant 6-2, 6-4 victory over American Brandon Nakashima to advance to the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo.
The world No. 1, who injured his ankle in his tournament opener and later admitted it had been a concern, played with visible strapping on his left leg. After the match, he revealed he had deliberately altered his tactics to protect the joint.
“I had to be more aggressive than usual because I wanted him to run more than I did,” Alcaraz explained. “You could see that at times I wasn’t moving as fast as I wanted to; I’m being cautious with my steps during the match.”
Alcaraz dispatched the 33rd-ranked Nakashima in just one hour and 20 minutes. “I’m not going to lie, I think I played incredibly well today,” he said.
After being broken three times in his previous match against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, Alcaraz was far more solid on Sunday, breaking Nakashima’s serve in the opening game. While the American showed signs of a comeback in the second set, Alcaraz secured a crucial break in the fifth game and, after failing to convert three match points in the ninth, ultimately closed out the encounter on his own serve.
The victory sets up a semifinal clash against Norway’s Casper Ruud. The world No. 12 advanced by defeating Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2. The other semifinal will be an all-American contest between Taylor Fritz and Jenson Brooksby.
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