Carlos Alcaraz rallied from a set down and held his nerve in a deciding tiebreak to beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) in the China Open final on Wednesday and win his fourth title of the season.
French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who won both of his previous meetings with Sinner this year, recovered from a slow start to wrap up the title win and improve his head-to-head record with the world No. 1 to 6-4.
Alcaraz also ended Sinner’s winning streak at 14 matches and denied the Italian three straight titles after trophies in Cincinnati and at the US Open.
While the stage might not have been as grand as it was in some of their recent encounters, the Spaniard and the Italian — who is dealing with an ongoing doping case, with the World Anti-Doping Agency announcing last week that it was appealing a decision to clear him of wrongdoing following two positive steroid tests — pushed each other to the limit in the latest chapter of the burgeoning rivalry that has taken the ATP Tour by storm.
After both players defended break points in a cagey start, the third-ranked Alcaraz seized the early break for a 3-1 lead when Sinner’s backhand went wide, before consolidating the advantage when his opponent netted a shot next.
Sinner, whose last win over Alcaraz came in the semi-finals of this tournament last year, gradually found his range to level at 5-5 and save two set points in the tiebreak to clinch the first set.
Sinner pushed Alcaraz hard in a 15-minute game in the second set but the Spaniard successfully held serve for 4-4. His failure to break in the lengthy game appeared to take the wind out of Sinner’s sails, as Alcaraz sped through the next two games to level the match at a set apiece.
He then cranked up the intensity on his forehand and broke for a 2-1 lead in the third set, but with victory seemingly in sight, he suffered a lapse in concentration and allowed Sinner to level at 4-4.
In the deciding tiebreak, Sinner snatched control to take a 3-0 lead, but some excellent work at the net helped Alcaraz edge a couple of rallies, before finally clinching the title with an emphatic cross-court forehand winner.
Alcaraz, who said after the win that he “never lost hope”, said: “He could (have won) in two, I could win in two, he could win in three. It was a really close match.
“Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me. The level that he’s playing, it’s unbelievable. It’s a really high quality of tennis. Of shots, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.”
Sinner, this year’s Australian Open and US Open champion, was looking to become the first man to retain the crown at the China National Tennis Centre since Novak Djokovic won four straight titles between 2012 and 15.
Sabalenka in quarters
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka matched her career-best 15 straight wins after beating Madison Keys 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals.
The second-ranked Belarusian has won 30 of 31 sets played during her current streak, dropping only one set to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round of the US Open.
That form guide quickly played out on Wednesday as she broke the No. 24-ranked Keys in the third game of the first set and then dominated on serve throughout an efficient 65-minute outing, which improved her head-to-head record against the American to 4-1.
She will next play Karolina Muchova after the Czech player routed Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-2, 6-0.
Written with inputs from Reuters & AP/PTI