Carlos Alcaraz continued his dream run as he lifted the China Open after beating rival Jannik Sinner in the summit clash in Beijing on Wednesday. The Spaniard registered a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) triumph against World No. 1 Sinner and this was the third win of the season for Alcaraz against the Italian.
The World No.1 took the opening set in the tiebreaker but Alcaraz bounced back strongly to achieve parity. The four-time Slam champion then took the third set in the tiebreaker and won the thrilling contest in three hours and 21 minutes, which is the longest match in the tournament’s history.
“He could [have won] in two, I could win in two, he could win in three. It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz. “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.”
In the third set, Sinner had three mini breaks but Alcaraz revealed he didn’t lose hope and wanted to keep fighting to bounce back in the match.
“I never lost hope… Honestly, I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side,” said Alcaraz. “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.’
“I played great points just to make 3-all and after that, I just thought to go for it. If I lost it, at least I went for it. So that’s all I thought in that moment.”
The youngster was delighted with the level of tennis he played throughout the week in China’s capital.
“During the whole week I’ve been playing great tennis,” said Alcaraz of his Beijing run. “Probably sometimes the luck went to my side a little bit in the matches. But in general, I feel great on the court, and I feel great off the court as well with my team.
“It’s really important to feel like you are in a good mood all the time off the court, just try to show good tennis and be calm on the court. I think I couldn’t ask for a better week here in Beijing and I will try to keep going.”
Alcaraz will be next seen in action in the Shanghai Masters.
