Alcaraz defeats Sinner to win China Open title in breathtaking final
Second-seeded Alcaraz beat defending champion Sinner 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win his first China Open title in Beijing
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, China Open, 2024 Achmad Ibrahim / AP / Sipa
After three hours and 20 minutes of edifying excellence, Carlos Alcaraz dethroned defending champion Jannik Sinner to win a first China Open title, edging past the world No 1 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a final of extraordinary quality in Beijing.
In doing so, Alcaraz moves 6-4 ahead in the pair’s scintillating rivalry, putting clear daylight between the two players for the first time in a head-to-head that has thus far been nip-and-tuck all the way, with one man moving ahead only to be pegged back by the other.
Alcaraz also wins his fourth title of the season, still two behind Sinner’s tour-leading six, as he becomes the first man to win ATP 500 titles across all three surfaces (with Queen’s and Halle only recently becoming 500-level events in 2015).
It was a match that more than lived up to its billing as a hugely anticipated showdown between the world’s best two players – an electrifying exhibition of supreme athleticism, dazzling shot-making and breathtaking defence.
The opening stanza alone was 70 minutes long, and the quality barely dropped for a moment.
Alcaraz started marginally the brighter of the two, earning the first break of the contest in the fourth game en route to a 4-1 lead, having failed to convert any of the three he generated in Sinner’s opening service game.
As the Spaniard served for the first set at 5-3, however, his opponent pounced. With just his second break point of the set, Sinner converted before holding serve confidently to gain parity at 5-5.
The world No 1 was forced to fend off a set point when serving at 5-6 down, but duly obliged to send a remarkable set of tennis into a highly fitting tiebreak.
The breaker mirrored much of what had preceded it: high-quality, tight and utterly gripping. It was Alcaraz again who looked to have nudged himself into the decisive lead, moving 6-4 ahead with another two set points at his disposal. An ace from Sinner helped erase the advantage, however, as the Italian took the next four points to surge into a one-set lead.
alcaraz recovers one-set deficit to clinch victory of the highest quality
Fleeting thoughts of a drop-off in intensity in the second quickly dissipated as both players elevated their already remarkable level in a middle stanza that only increased in drama and quality.
Serve held firm until the first break points of the set emerged in the seventh game, with Sinner saving both courtesy of typically imperious serving under pressure. The following game was the pivotal juncture in the set. Eight deuces came and went as Alcaraz fended off two break points of his own to hold serve in an epic eighth game.
From there, the Spaniard delivered the sucker-punch in the next game, finally breaking through for a second time on the Sinner serve before powering through the tenth and final game to love, sealing the set with a blistering ace to force a fitting decider.
The third set was a cagier affair than the previous two, but no shorter on intrigue or drama.
Sinner’s first serve percentage dipped, opening the door for Alcaraz to apply pressure as the Italian’s second serve began to look vulnerable.
It didn’t take long for the current world No 3 to take advantage, seizing the break in the third game of the set after Sinner had saved two break points at 15-40 down. The world No 1 was again under pressure in the fifth game, fending off a further two break points to hold as Alcaraz appeared to be in the ascendency.
From 4-2 down, however, Sinner sprang back into life, breaking back in the eight game either side of two confident holds to win three games on the spin and reignite the contest.
Another break point opportunity came and went for Alcaraz in the eleventh game as the pair headed to an inevitable deciding-set tiebreak.
Sinner moved first, racing out of the blocks in blistering fashion to sprint into a 3-0 lead. But it was a photo finish for the young Spaniard, who moved up yet another gear when it mattered most to power his way to seven straight points and a first China Open title.
“He could win in two. I could win in two. He could win in three. It was a really close match,” Alcaraz said in a post-match interview.
“Jannik showed once again he showed he’s the best player in the world at least for me with the level that he’s playing. “It is unbelievable. He’s the best.
“It was high-quality. I had my chances in the first set but didn’t make it, but I’m proud of the way I built the match, the way that I managed everything.”
sinner versus alcaraz – a clear rivalry for the ages
For the majority of 2024, Sinner has been widely regarded as the best player in the world, and this is reflected in both the official ATP rankings and the live rankings based on points accrued for the season.
However, Alcaraz has now beaten the world No 1 three times without reply this year, as the Spaniard takes a new hold on their head-to-head rivalry. Today’s victory was also the first time Alcaraz has beaten Sinner in a final, and he moves level with the Italian on 16 ATP titles apiece.
While it would currently appear that Alcaraz has the upper hand, the truth is that this rivalry could not be more finely balanced. It is difficult to recall an occasion when two leading players so early in their careers were so closely matched.
The pair have split this season’s Grand Slam titles, and will again occupy the top two positions in the rankings ladder when the new standings are published next week.
The history of this still nascent rivalry would indicate that Sinner will avenge today’s defeat sooner rather than later, and it is likely they will face off again before this season is out – especially with the year-ending ATP Finals just a little over a month away.
Today, it is rightly Alcaraz who will take the plaudits. But, in all honesty, this match is yet another indicator of just what a special dynamic these two extraordinary players share, and what a gift this could be for men’s tennis for many years to come.
Alcaraz leaves Beijing as the new China Open champion. Yet, after a final like that, the real winner is tennis itself.
