Carlos Alcaraz dethroned world number one Jannik Sinner as China Open champion with an absorbing three-set win over the Italian in Wednesday’s final in Beijing.
After coming up short in a first-set tie-breaker, Alcaraz atoned for those mistakes when it mattered most right at the death, reeling off seven straight points to prevail 6-7[6] 6-4 7-6[3] at the end of a three-hour and 20-minute epic.
The 21-year-old’s mesmerising win also saw him triumph against Sinner for the third time in a row following his successes in this year’s Indian Wells and French Open semi-finals, both of which Sinner also won the first set in before an Alcaraz turnaround.
“He could win in two, I could win in two, he could win in three, it was a really close match, Jannik is the best player in the world for me.
The level he’s playing is unbelievable, real high-quality tennis,” Alcaraz told the ATP Tour media channels after his victory.
“I had my chances in the first set, didn’t make it. I’m proud of myself with the way I dealt with the match and managed everything.
I’m really happy that even though he broke my serve I gave myself the chance to keep going.”
En route to the 2023 title, however, Sinner had overcome Alcaraz in the final four and was aiming for a 15th consecutive match win in Beijing, which would have also seen him become just the second man to defend the China Open crown after Novak Djokovic.
