World no. 1 and the defending Beijing Open champion, Jannik Sinner, made a winning start at the prestigious ATP 500 tournament. The two-time Major winner faced Nicolas Jarry in the opening round and scored a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in an hour and 55 minutes.
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The Italian overcame a slow start and controlled the scoreboard in sets two and three, preserving his best tennis for the decider and notching his 56th win of the season. Jannik liked how he competed against a tricky rival, especially after a slower start.
World no. 1 felt good about his first serve, although he wants to improve the second a bit. Jarry made a reliable start before losing serve once in the second set, with his game falling apart in the decider. Thus, Sinner extended his streak at the ATP 500 tournaments, delivering the 21st straight victory since Beijing last year and seeking the fifth title in a row at this level in the Chinese capital.
Each player hit almost 30 service winners, with the initial shot dominating the scene.
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Jannik reduced the number of unforced errors to eight and welcomed 40 mistakes from the opponent, who tried to stay aggressive and keep the points on his tally.
Nicolas lost the ground from the baseline after a solid start, fading from the court in the decider. Sinner's first serve worked like a charm, and he saved four of five break points, pressuring Jarry from the second set. Nicolas could not find the first serve in sets two and three and could not fight the world's best player without it.
The second serve let him down completely, winning only five points and allowing his rival to break him four times from eight opportunities. The Chilean dropped serve once in the opening two sets, and it all changed in the decider when the Italian stepped in and ended the rival's resistance in style.
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The encounter started with six reliable holds, with Nicolas locking the result at 3-3 and making a push on the return in the next one. The lower-ranked player painted a forehand crosscourt winner in game seven, earning two break points.
Jannik Sinner shared his thoughts about his first match in Beijing.
The Chilean forced the Italian's mistake on the second, earning a break and forging the advantage.
Jarry cemented the break with a hold in game eight and served for the set at 5-4. He landed an ace on a set point, wrapping up the opener in 39 minutes. Sinner served well in the second set, challenging his rival to follow that pace and stay in touch.
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Nicolas experienced an early break in the second game after a forehand error, falling behind and losing momentum. Jannik needed no second invitation, producing fine holds by the end of the set and landing a service winner at 5-3 to wrap up the set and force a decider after an hour and 21 minutes.
The Chilean lost the ground early in the final set, getting broken in the first game after a backhand crosscourt winner from world no. 1. Sinner held for 2-0 and closed the fourth game with a forehand winner, opening a 3-1 gap and sailing toward the top.
The defending champion played well on the return in the fifth game, cracking a forehand down the line winner and moving 4-1 in front.
Jannik struggled on serve in the sixth game, playing against three break points and denying them, holding and embracing a 5-1 advantage.
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Jarry served to stay in the match in game seven and faced match points. Sinner converted the second after the rival's wild forehand, moving over the top with a break and making a winning start. The Italian ousted five top-40 players in Beijing a year ago, including two top-3 triumphs!
Jannik defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final, prevailing in the opener and leaving the Spaniard behind in set number two. Sinner faced Daniil Medvedev in the title clash and prevailed 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and two minutes, kicking off his ATP 500 streak.
As we already mentioned, the Italian has won four consecutive titles at this level, lifting trophies in Rotterdam and Halle this year and hoping for more in the Italian capital. Jannik will face the Russian Roman Safiullin in the second round, hoping to extend his streak of quarter-finals.
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"Nicolas played well; he is a tricky opponent, especially in the first round. I struggled on the return in the opening set, and he broke me. I tried to keep my composure, and I'm happy with my performance and how I ended the match.
My first serve worked well, and I have to improve the second a bit. We have worked on a couple of things in my game after the US Open, and I'm happy with the progress," Jannik Sinner said.
