Jannik Sinner upsets Carlos Alcaraz to advance to China Open final
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Jannik Sinner upset No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to reach the final of the China Open, where he will face world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday.
Sinner beat the two-time grand slam champion 7-6 6-1 in a statement victory, telling the ATP his performance was at the “very top” of the big matches he’s played in his career.
The win also means the Italian, who will rise a career high of world No. 4 after the tournament, opens up a winning 4-3 record over Alcaraz and becomes the first player to beat the 2023 Wimbledon champion four times on tour, according to the ATP.
“I would say every match against him is very tough,” Sinner said. “We always show great respect, we both play great. When we play against each other, we try to stay on our limits.
“Today, I played a little bit better in the important moments. In the second set, it was 6-1, but he had a lot of chances and I just tried to stay focused.
“Obviously, the first set was a little more of a roller coaster and I tried to stay there mentally and, obviously, I’m very happy with the performance.”
After the match, Alcaraz echoed Sinner’s sentiments about how the encounter unfolded, particularly the first set.
“I think I played good tennis in the first set, trying to seize my opportunities, but it wasn’t to be today,” he told reporters, according to AS.
“I have chances to get the second break in the first set. I didn’t take advantage of that. Also, other break points later, I didn’t take advantage of those.”
It marks Sinner’s second straight win over Alcaraz following his comeback victory at the Miami Open in April and the 22-year-old will now surely be confident of securing his first ever win over Medvedev when the pair face off in Wednesday’s final.
Medvedev, who holds a 6-0 record over Sinner, beat Alex Zverev 6-4 6-3 in the other semifinal as he bids for a sixth ATP title in what has been a brilliant season.
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