Jannik Sinner is currently the best male tennis player, having won two Grand Slam titles in 2024 — the Australian and US Opens — along with two ATP Masters 1000 trophies, and holding the No. 1 ranking. However, one person who remains unperturbed by these achievements is 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard, with four Grand Slam titles to his name, leads their head-to-head 6-4 against 23-year-old Sinner.
The latest of these six wins came on Wednesday at the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center, where Alcaraz won seven straight points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat
Alcaraz beats Sinner in dramatic China Open final
Carlos Alcaraz came from a set down to edge out world number one Jannik Sinner in a dramatic China Open final.
Alcaraz, 21, continued his fine run of form against the Italian and has now won each of their last three encounters after coming through 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
It is the Spaniard’s fourth ATP Tour title this year and 16th of his career.
“Jannik once again showed he’s the best player in the world, he’s unbelievable and plays such a high level of tennis,” Alcaraz said.
I had my chances in the first set and didn’t take it. In general, I’m proud of the way I dealt with the match and managed everything.
“I never lose hope but I know he has great stats. I knew I had to give everything I had to give myself the opportunity.”
Elsewhere, Great Britain’s Dan Evans was knocked out in the first round at the Shanghai Masters, having come through qualifying.
Evans, 34, forced a deciding set, which he led 4-2, but eventually lost out in a tie-break against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, who won 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-3) to set up a meeting with Russian world number five Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz gets better of Sinner in latest showdown
Since suffering a shock second-round exit at the US Open, Alcaraz has bounced back to win nine matches in a row, including Cup last month.
Alcaraz appeared to be on track for the perfect start when he moved into a 5-2 lead in the opening set, however, Sinner saved two set points to force a tie-break, which he went on to win.
The pivotal moment in the second arrived in the ninth game, when Alcaraz seized his opportunity to secure a break before serving out for the set to take it to a decider.
There has been little to separate the pair in the early stages of their careers, with their head-to-head record now 6-4 in Alcaraz’s favour, and it was another fine example of what the future of tennis has to offer in Beijing.
Sinner has made a habit of winning big games over the course of 2024, prevailing in all six of his previous finals – including the Australian Open and US Open – and he found an extra gear to mount another fightback in the final set.
Trailing 4-2 in the third, Sinner won three successive games to wrestle back momentum and send the encounter to a match-deciding tie-break.
Sinner looked firmly in control after opening up a 3-0 advantage, but Alcaraz would not be denied.
He rattled off seven successive points to claim victory and make it three wins on the bounce against the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“During the whole week I’ve been playing great tennis, some luck went to my side but I felt great on the court too,” Alcaraz said.
The win means he is the first player to win an ATP 500 title on all three surfaces.
