Carlos Alcaraz came from behind to edge rival Jannik Sinner 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in a thrilling final to claim the China Open title in Beijing on Wednesday.
Sinner went into the final on a 15-match winning streak after lifting his second Grand Slam trophy of the season at the US Open, but it was Alcaraz who came out on top after three hours and 21 minutes in an epic contest.
The Spaniard now has a 6-4 lead over his big rival in their head-to-head meetings after thumping 55 winners and playing a stunning deciding-set tie-break.
“It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz. “Jannik showed once again that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me, the level that he’s playing is unbelievable.
“I had my chances in the first set, didn’t make it. But in general I’m proud of myself with the way that I dealt with the match, the way that I managed everything.
“I’m really happy that in the third set. Even though he broke my serve again and it was really close, I gave myself the chance to keep going, playing aggressively and I’m really happy that I made it.”
Alcaraz has found his mojo again over the last couple of weeks following a shock second-round loss at the US Open and he was electric at the start of the contest.
He opened up a 5-2 lead in the first set, but Sinner responded by breaking Alcaraz when he served for it and the world No 1 then saved three set points before taking the tie-break 8-6.
It was another example of the mental toughness Sinner has shown this season, but it was Alcaraz who dug in in the second set, saving two break points in a long eighth game before breaking his opponent and levelling the match.
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Sinner produced a moment of brilliance with this impressive defence against Alcaraz in the final
The momentum was now back with the 21-year-old, who had won both his previous matches against his rival this season, and he piled on more pressure in the early stages of the deciding set.
After breaking Sinner to lead 2-1, Alcaraz had two more chances in the fifth game but could not take them and, in a repeat of the opener, back came the top seed.
It was fitting the contest came down to a deciding tie-break and Sinner looked to be in the ascendancy when he took a 3-0 lead, but Alcaraz responded in stunning fashion with seven points in a row.
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Alcaraz showed off his impressive athleticism with this backhand winner…
Tale of the Tape
The man for all surfaces
Alcaraz vs Top 5 in 2024
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
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Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
- Shanghai Masters – ATP 1000 (October 2-13)
- Wuhan Open – WTA 1000 (October 6-12 – Emma Raducanu in qualifying action)
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- European Open, Antwerp – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Japan Open, Osaka – WTA 250 (October 14-20)
- Ningbo Open, China – WTA 500 (October 14-20)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.