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.
TOUCH Taiwan team dominated Taiwan’s men’s over-45 team are winless so far at the Asia Pacific Seniors Touch Cup in Japan over the past few days. Taiwan face New Zealand, England, Japan and Australia in the grade, one of nine at the Federation of International Touch-run tournament in Utsunomiya. Taiwan opened their campaign with a 14-1 loss to New Zealand on Wednesday before falling 12-0 to England later on the first day. The challenge continued on day two yesterday. Taiwan were defeated 10-0 by the hosts before taking on Australia, one of the sport’s traditional powerhouses, losing 14-1. In a second meeting
Novak Djokovic on Tuesday won the China Open after his opponent Alex de Minaur retired from the final, extending an astonishing unbeaten streak in Beijing and winning the 102nd title of his career. The 39-year-old Serbian won the first set in the tiebreak 7-6 (7/3) and was down a game in the second set when the Australian ended the match early. “I always want to visualize myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing,” Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony. “But I was also quite aware that reality is a little bit different these days,” he said, adding that it
GOAT? Messi has a contract with Inter Miami until 2028, but after the death of his father, he signaled he might hang up his boots sooner than anticipated Lionel Messi on Tuesday brought the curtain down on his 21-year international career, bidding farewell to adoring Argentina fans in an emotional final appearance for the former world champions in Buenos Aires. In a perfectly scripted finale, the 39-year-old widely regarded as the greatest soccer player in history signed off with his 126th international goal in front of 85,000 supporters as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Benin. Messi, playing in his record-extending 208th international, also provided the assist for the opening goal scored by veteran Nicolas Otamendi, with Nico Paz also scoring. However, the match was a footnote
NBA superstar LeBron James on Thursday delivered a solid first half in his first pre-season game for Philadelphia, although the new-look 76ers fell 114-108 to the New York Nets in Brooklyn. James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, in July announced that he had signed a two-year, US$8 million deal with the 76ers, ending weeks of speculation over where the four-time NBA champion would land as a free agent after eight seasons and one title with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 41-year-old, entering a record-extending 24th NBA season, won two titles with the Miami Heat, another with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a fourth
RSS