Carlos Alcaraz roared back from a set down to beat world number one Jannik Sinner in a thriller and win his first China Open title on Wednesday.
The four-time Grand Slam champion edged a captivating final 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) for his fourth ATP crown of the year and 16th overall.
The Spaniard, who is set to return to number two in the world behind Sinner, was 3-0 down in the final-set tiebreak only to fight back and win in three hours, 21 minutes.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The longest men’s singles match in China Open history saw Sinner deposed as the Beijing champion after an almighty fight.
Alcaraz called it “a special win” that was even more satisfying in light of his shock second-round exit at the recent US Open.
“When Jannik and I play it’s a good thing for tennis because we always show a really intense match, really close match, great points, great rallies,” he said.
“I think for people who don’t watch tennis, probably thanks to these kind of matches, they will start to watch tennis or even practice it,” he added.
US Open champion Sinner reached the final in Beijing under fresh scrutiny.
The Italian has admitted to sleepless nights over his doping case, which was reignited at the weekend when the World Anti-Doping Agency said it had appealed against a decision to clear him.
He called it one of the toughest matches he had ever played.
“These kind of matches can really go both ways, but it was not my day,” Sinner said.
“He played better in the important moments, that’s it,” he added.
In the women’s draw, China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen survived a scare in defeating the 43rd-ranked American Amanda Anisimova 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Zheng faces Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.
It kept the home hero on course to meet world number two Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster last-four showdown.
The top seed kept up her side of the bargain with a ruthless 6-4, 6-3 victory over another American in Madison Keys.
US Open champion Sabalenka next plays Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
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