Alcaraz retires from Rio Open due to ankle injury

Rio De Janeiro: World number two Carlos Alcaraz retired from the Rio Open on Tuesday after suffering a right ankle injury early in his opening match against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.

The Spaniard needed medical attention after twisting his ankle on the second point of the match. The 20-year-old returned to the court and managed to break Monteiro’s serve but retired after being broken in the next game, the match ending with the score at 1-1.

Top seed Alcaraz was the champion in Rio in 2022 and a finalist last year, when he lost to Briton Cameron Norrie. He arrived in Rio after losing to Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of last week’s Buenos Aires Open.

Earlier on Tuesday, Alcaraz announced he will play at the Queen’s Club Championships before defending his Wimbledon title.