In an exciting China Open final, world no. 1 Jannik Sinner was defeated by rising athlete Carlos Alcaraz after falling behind in the first set.
The young athlete maintained his excellent playing form against the Italian, and has now won all three of their matches with a performance record of 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3). Overall, the Spaniard has won 16 career titles, including four on the ATP Tour this year.
With his win, Alcaraz admitted: “Jannik once again showed he’s the best player in the world, he’s unbelievable and plays at such a high level of tennis… 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.”
He added: “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.”
In a social media post, the athlete shared: “very special 🏆 to end the week after a huge battle with @janniksin! 🤝🏻 Very proud and happy! ❤️”
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Highlights of the match
After a shocking second-round loss at the US Open, Alcaraz has recovered and won nine straight games including the Laver Cup last month with Team Europe.
When the athlete took a 5-2 lead in the first set, it appeared that Alcaraz had an ideal start. However, Sinner bounced back and saved two set chances to have a tie-break. The third game had been the turning point as Alcaraz took advantage of a break and went on to serve out the set.
Sinner overcame and won three straight games to have a match-ending tiebreaker. After taking a 3-0 lead, it seemed that Sinner was well-controlled, but Alcaraz was unstoppable. Taking his third straight triumph, he defeated the two-time Grand Slam champion with seven consecutive points.
With Alcaraz leading a head-to-head match with a score of 6-4, it was another excellent demonstration of what the Beijing tennis scene has to offer for the future of tennis. More so, this victory allowed Alcaraz to become the first athlete to win an ATP 500 title on each of the three surfaces.
Source: BBC