Alcaraz retires hurt from Rio Open match; Wawrinka also out

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Two-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz retired hurt from the Rio Open on Tuesday after two games due to a right ankle injury.

The retirement at 1-1 meant Brazil's Thiago Monteiro advanced to the second round.

Alcaraz twisted his ankle in the first game. He received medical attention, broke Monteiro's serve, but after the Brazilian pulled level he shook his rival's hand and left the court.

“I don't know even what to say,” Monteiro said. “We didn't want it to be this way.”

Alcaraz was the runner-up at the clay court tournament in Rio de Janeiro last year, and its winner in 2022.

Earlier, three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka was beaten 7-5, 6-4 in the first round by Argentina's Facundo Díaz Acosta. The 23-year-old Díaz Acosta won his first title on Sunday at the Argentina Open.

The match was delayed for almost two hours due to rain in Rio de Janeiro. Diaz Acosta's next opponent will be his compatriot Sebastián Báez.

The 38-year-old Wawrinka won the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 U.S. Open, where he defeated the world No. 1 player in the final on all three occasions.

Díaz Acosta played in Argentina as a wild-card entry with a career-high ranking of 87. He rose to No. 59 on Monday.

“I had to have a lot of patience because of the rain,” Díaz Acosta said. “Stan is a legend, it was amazing to play against him.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis