China Open: Carlos Alcaraz fights back to defeat Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz rallied from a set down and held his nerve in a deciding tiebreak to beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) in the China Open final on Wednesday and win his fourth title of the season.

French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who won both of his previous meetings with Sinner this year, recovered from a slow start to wrap up victory in three hours, 21 minutes and improve his head-to-head record with the Italian to 6-4.

While the stage might not have been as grand as it was in some of their recent encounters, Sinner and Alcaraz pushed each other to the limit in the latest chapter of the burgeoning rivalry that has taken the ATP Tour by storm. “He could have won in two, I could have won in two, it was a really close match. Jannik once again showed that he’s the best player in the world, with the level that he’s playing,” Alcaraz, 21, said. “It is unbelievable, it’s a really high quality of tennis, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.”