Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played a memorable final at the Beijing Open, with the Spaniard scoring a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 triumph in three hours and 21 minutes! The world's best players produced one of the best encounters of the season but did not have time to enjoy the final or take a rest.
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Carlos and Jannik headed to Shanghai by sharing the private jet, losing no time and focusing on their next event. The finalists praised each other following the match and spent more time together during the flight, enjoying with their teams and hoping to meet again next week.
Two great rivals embraced an incredible battle in their tenth encounter, pushing each other to the limits from start to finish. Sinner had his chances for the title defense, stealing the opener but missing an opportunity to seal the deal and extend his winning streak.
The Italian came from 5-2 down in the opener and saved three set points en route to a massive steal.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner traveled to Shanghai together after Beijing.
World no.
1 had break points at 4-3 in the second set, squandering them and losing serve in the next one, allowing his rival to force a decider. Carlos dropped a 4-2 advantage in the final set and found himself two points from losing in the tenth game.
The Spaniard stayed focused, closing the game and introducing a deciding tie break. Sinner forged a 3-0 advantage and looked good to extend his reign at the ATP 500 events. However, world no. 3 stepped in and claimed seven straight points, firing six winners and earning his first Beijing Open trophy in style.
Carlos claimed 12 points more and made the difference with the first serve, although they stayed close to each other from start to finish.
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The younger player lost serve two times from six chances offered to his opponent.
On the other hand, world no. 1 played against 15 break points, denying 12 and almost crossing the finish line first despite losing 40% of the points in his games. Alcaraz embraced an aggressive approach and landed 55 winners and 52 unforced errors.
He kept his rival on a 30-31 ratio and claimed almost 20 points at the net, including a rock-solid performance in the tie break. The 21-year-old took charge in the shortest range up to four strokes, while they stayed neck and neck in the mid-range and most advanced ones.
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The Spaniard became the first player to beat the Italian in an ATP final this year. Also, Jannik lost his first ATP 500 match after 24 straight wins, starting in Beijing last year. Despite the loss, Sinner keeps a massive advantage over Alcaraz on the ATP ranking list, looking good to wrap up his first year-end no. 1 season at 23.
