World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz made it to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open, defeating Belgium's Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3, in Tokyo, on Saturday.
The six-time Grand Slam champion, who had twisted his ankle during the campaign opener against Argentine World No. 41 Sebastian Baez, was at his fluent best against Bergs, wrapping up the match in 79 minutes.
Alcaraz baffled his opponent with a variety of shots and was extremely sharp around the net, improving his win-loss record to a stunning 64-7 for this season.
"It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100 percent. The work he has done for the ankle has been great. I could play normally, which is great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match," Alcaraz said after the match, according to the ATP website.
Alcaraz secured his career-best 65 tour-level wins back in 2023 and would level that tally with a win over America's Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals.
The Spaniard is chasing his tour-leading eighth title of the season.
Earlier, Holger Rune reached his fifth quarterfinal of the season, defeating American Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2.
The third seeded Dane will face Jenson Brooksby in the quarters. Rune is aiming for the second title of the season, having triumphed at the ATP 500 event on clay in Barcelona.
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