Carlos Alcaraz put to bed any injury concerns at the Japan Open, as he reached the quarter-finals with a comprehensive straight-sets win over Zizou Bergs. 

Alcaraz twisted his left ankle during his opening-round triumph over Sebastian Baez, but looked back to his best during a 6-4 6-3 victory against Bergs. 

It was the Belgian who claimed the first break of the match, though Alcaraz quickly responded with two of his own to race into a 5-2 lead in the opening set. 

The recent US Open champion was pegged back by Bergs, but was able to break again in the final game of the first set to claim the early advantage. 

Alcaraz then stormed into a 3-0 lead in the second following an early break, and despite Bergs getting to within one game of the top seed, he was unable to recover. 

The Spaniard sealed his progression to the last eight on serve, when he fiercely fired back a lofted return by Bergs. 

"It was tough, and it was a really important day-and-a-half. I had to recover as well as I could," Alcaraz said when asked about his ankle.

"I have said it before, and I will say it again: I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100%. The work he has done on 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."

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Alcaraz advances to the last 8 in Tokyo @japanopen | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/5ba9DFdg6K

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 27, 2025

Elsewhere in Tokyo, Holger Rune wasted little time in reaching his fifth quarter-final of the season, after easing past Ethan Quinn 6-2 6-4. 

Rune needed just an hour and 13 minutes to get past the American qualifier, and will face Quinn's compatriot Jenson Brooksby for a place in the final four. 

Data Debrief: In the groove

Alcaraz earned a career-best 65 tour-level victories in 2023 and will match that tally with a win against Brandon Nakashima, who he faces in the next round, and you would expect the world number one to surpass his season-best total this year. 

Since 2020, Alcaraz is one of three players to hold a win rate of 75% or more on all three surfaces at ATP level, along with Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.