Carlos Alcaraz made a stunning comeback to beat Jannik Sinner in the men's singles final at the China Open 2024, the ATP 500 title, on Wednesday. The Spaniard registered a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 win to beat the World No.1 Sinner to clinch his maiden ATP title in Beijing.
Facing the Italian star for the 10th time in his career, Alcaraz lost the opening set 6-7 as the duo produced a thrilling first set to entertain the crowd. But the 2024 Roland-Garros winner made a sensational comeback to take the match with his third successive win over the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Alacarz defeated Sinner at the Indian Wells and Roland-Garros semi-finals in 2024 to take a 5-4 lead in the head-to-head record and now extended it with another superb display. Sinner was returning with the US Open 2024 title where Alcaraz faced a shock second-round exit and was brilliant throughout the match against the Spaniard regardless of the result.
The 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist has formed a top rivalry with Sinner who has two majors this year. Alcaraz talked about his growing rivalry with Sinner after the match and termed his opponent an 'unbelievable and beast.'
“He could [have won] in two, I could win in two, he could win in three. It was a really close match,” Alcaraz said in the post-match presentation. “Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me. The level that he’s playing, it’s unbelievable. It’s a really high quality of tennis. Of shots, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.
“I never lost hope, Honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close."
Notably, both Sinner and Alcaraz can meet again as they are set to feature in the Shanghai Masters 2024. Despite a defeat, the Italian is set for an ATP Year-End No.1 finish in 2024 as he leads the chart with 11,180 points, over 4000 more than the second-placed Alexander Zverev.
