The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was proclaimed this Wednesday champion of the Chinese tournament, in the ATP 500 category and played on a hard surface, after coming back in an epic final against the Italian Jannik Sinner, world number one, and winning in three sets by (6 -7, 6-4, 7-6) in a match that lasted until three hours and 24 minutes of play.
In this way, Alcaraz confirmed the recovery of his best level in a big way, winning the fourth title of the season against the world number one in a final for history. The Murcian and Sinner demonstrated on the center court of the tournament why they are called to dominate the next decade in the world of tennis, in a match in which both had moments of brilliance and gave the expected show.
A triumph for Alcaraz that also represents the first title of his career on Asian lands, as well as the first ATP 500 he has won on a hard surface, the only one he had left to win in a tournament of this category. Furthermore, the victory against the one from San Candido leaves a favorable 6-4 in their head to head, dominated in 2024 by the one from El Palmar, who has won all three duels so far after their victories in Indian Wells and Roland Garros.
Another fact that confirms the great year of the Spanish number one is his streak against rivals from the ‘Top 5’, against whom he has achieved eight victories – three against Sinner, three against Daniil Medvedev, one against Alexander Zverev and another against Novak Djokovic- – from nine matches, losing only in the Olympic final against the Serbian.
The one achieved against Sinner was based on an unstoppable forehand that allowed him to add up to 36 of his 55 ‘winners’. He was also insistent in his climbs to the net, where he closed 25 of the 34 he made. In addition, Alcaraz was especially sharp against the rest, winning 47% of Sinner’s second serves, which helped him break his serve once in each set.
The start of the match was encouraging for the Spaniard, very aggressive and threatening his rival’s first serve, with a 0-40 that he could not take advantage of due to the good work of the Italian. It was a warning because on the next serve, the winner of four ‘Grand Slams’ broke and that led him to have the first set in his hand.
In fact, without lowering his level of tennis and despite Sinner’s gradual improvement, Alcaraz enjoyed an advantage of 5-2 and 5-3 and serve, but the number one then made his level clear to once again equalize a match that would be decided in the ‘tie-break’. There, the Murcian dominated and had two set points, but he did not waste them and it ended up costing him dearly as he found himself behind on the scoreboard (8/6) for the first time in the entire tournament.
With the comeback as his objective, the Olympic runner-up started the second set, but Sinner was already settled and gave no options either. The rest’s options disappeared until the seventh game where Alcaraz almost broke. And after wasting a 15-40, he suffered the unspeakable in the next game, the longest of the match, with the Italian having two breaking balls from which he could not benefit either.
This gave more faith to Alcaraz, who pressed in the next to achieve the long-awaited ‘break’, which this time he did not let escape, closing the set with his serve and sending the match to a third and final match where both maintained their high level and where the from El Palmar had it in his hand again.
Thus, Alcaraz, once again confident in his tennis, broke early and took advantage against a somewhat more irregular Sinner who was on the ropes with a 15-40 with 3-1 in favor of the Spaniard. The champion of Australia and the United States saved the situation to continue with a life that he extended after breaking in a bad eighth game for the Murcian.
And in the most tense moment of the final, both demonstrated the reasons that dictate that they are called to dominate tennis in the next decade. Alcaraz and Sinner exhibited their best tennis level of the match and took the final decision to a new ‘sudden death’. The world number one threatened with an initial 3/0, but the Spaniard’s response was devastating, with seven consecutive points to win the title.