Jannik Sinner emerged as the champion of the China Open by securing a significant win in the final round against Daniil Medvedev with a score of 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) in Beijing.
The Italian, who is 22 years old, had been defeated by Medvedev in their past six matches. However, he was able to come out on top in just over two hours and win his ninth ATP title, his third of the year. Sinner, who was seeded sixth, also beat the number one seed, Carlos Alcaraz, for the first time on a hard court in the semi-final with a score of 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
“During the trophy ceremony, Sinner expressed his gratitude to Daniil for giving him the opportunity to win a match. Their matches have always been challenging, especially this year, and Sinner acknowledges that he has become a better player because of them. He has put in a lot of hard work and training to finally defeat Daniil. Sinner also thanked his team for their dedication and expressed how special it is to share this moment with Daniil.”
Sinner had a total of 29 successful shots and 13 mistakes, while his Russian opponent had 26 successful shots and 11 mistakes. Both players were unable to capitalize on break points, but Sinner’s strong performance at the net (winning 23 points compared to Medvedev’s eight) and in tie-breaks ultimately led to his victory. Sinner is now approaching qualification for the end-of-year ATP Finals.
At the WTA China Open, Iga Swiatek progressed to the quarter-finals by defeating her fellow Polish player Magda Linette 6-1, 6-1.
Elena Rybakina overcame a first-set misstep to notch a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Mirra Andreeva, while Jelena Ostapenko recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win over the No 4 seed Jessica Pegula.
At the Shanghai Masters for ATP, Andy Murray exited early following a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Roman Safiullin in the opening round.
Unfortunately, Murray, who has won the Shanghai title three times before, was unable to hold onto his first service game and also missed opportunities to immediately break back. As a result, Safiullin was able to gain a 2-0 advantage. He then broke Murray’s serve two more times, resulting in a 6-3 win for the first set and taking control of the second set.
Murray’s momentum was disrupted when Safiullin managed to break back, but despite this setback, the former top-ranked player was unable to maintain his serve while trailing 2-1. As he attempted to keep himself in the match, Murray made an unforced error on a routine forehand, giving Safiullin a match point. The outcome was further solidified when a video review confirmed that Safiullin’s return had landed within the court boundaries.
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Murray had a disappointing day as he was eliminated early from the China Open by Alex de Minaur. Safiullin, ranked 41st in the world, will face Alexander Zverev in a repeat of their final match at the Chengdu Open last month, which was won by the German.
China’s Zhizhen Zhang raced to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Richard Gasquet to earn his first main-draw victory at his hometown tournament. The popular local wild card Buyunchaokete, a 21-year-old who goes by just one name, won his ATP Tour debut after Miomir Kecmanovic was forced to retire from their match.
Chile’s Cristian Garín defeated American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic and will now play against Medvedev, who received a bye in the first round. Sinner will face Marcos Giron after defeating Colombia’s Daniel Galán in their first match.
