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World number 3 tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz edged out world number one Jannik Sinner in a dramatic China Open final to claim the title. The Spaniard clinched the win by taking down his counterpart with a scoreline of 6-7 ((6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in a thrilling finale clash in Beijing on Wednesday, October 2. Sinner entered the finale on a 15-match streak after he lifted his second Grand Slam trophy of the season at the US Open. However, it was Alcaraz, who came out victorious in an absolute thrilling contest that went on for three hours and 21 minutes.
With the win, Alcaraz now has a 6-4 lead over Sinner in their head-to-head record. He got better of Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3 for the third time this year to make it to another finale, which also turned out to be his fifth tour-level final of the season and the first at Beijing. On the other hand, Sinner had moved past Yunchaokete Bu 6-3, 7-6(3). Notably, Alcaraz won six finals in 2023, five of which were consecutive.
The Era of Unbeaten Carlos Alcaraz
The win at the China Open 2024 proved to be Alcaraz’s 16th ATP title and fourth in 2024. The win also ended Sinner’s 15-match streak and registered his third win over him in the current year. Moreover, the youngster has now won 15 matches in the last set tie-breaker out of 17 matches he has played. The last time the two met in a final was in Umag in 2022 where Sinner registered a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 win over his Spanish counterpart.
After his win in Beijing, 21-year-old Alcaraz said, "Jannik once again showed he's the best player in the world, he's unbelievable and plays such a high level of tennis. I had my chances in the first set and didn't take it. In general, I'm proud of the way I dealt with the match and managed everything.I never lose hope but I know he has great stats. I knew I had to give everything I had to give myself the opportunity."
Speaking of Sinner, the Italian has ATP 1000 level wins in Cincinnati and Miami among his haul of six titles in 2024. With the win at China Open, he would have become the third man after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with multiple wins in Beijing. Djokovic won six times at the venue between 2009 and 2015.
