Jannik Sinner calls Daniil Medvedev an opponent he ‘never wants to face’ as he dispatches top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight-sets at the China Open

Sinner will be looking forward to his first win against Medvedev in the final of the China Open.

Jannik Sinner calls Daniil Medvedev an opponent he ‘never wants to face’ as he dispatches top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight-sets at the China Open

L-R: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. (Credit : Open Source/X)

World No.7 Jannik Sinner put on a stunning performance at the National Tennis Center in Beijing to continue his decent start to the Asian swing as he defeated the World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz to book a spot in the final of the ATP 500 China Open on Tuesday. Sinner, seeded 6th, defeated the first seed 7-6(4),6-1 in under two hours of play to get his 48th win of the year and improve his head-to-head over the Spaniard to 4-3. This was his second win over Alcaraz this year.

Sinner trailed by a break twice in the first set and saved 2 breakpoints to stop the Spaniard from running away with the set. After initial struggles, Sinner took control of the match, showing superb court coverage and making the Spaniard run the length of the court. The first set lasted 1 hour and fifteen minutes, with the Italian showing superb composure in crucial moments.

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“Today I played slightly better in the important moments of the match. The first set was like a roller coaster, I tried to stay there mentally and I’m obviously very happy with my performance,” Sinner remarked in the post-match press conference.

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Interestingly, Sinner is the only player to have 4 tour-level wins against the 2-time Grand Slam champion. Alcaraz has never really found it comfortable playing the Italian. Speaking about his rival, Sinner said, “I would say every match against Carlos is very tough. We always show each other great respect. We both played great. I am obviously very happy with this result.”

With the win, Sinner has ensured a career-high ATP ranking of 4. Next up, The Italian no.1 faces the 2nd seed Daniil Medvedev for the final showdown. “Tomorrow I will have a very difficult match against a player I never want to face. I hope it will be a good time,” he said, talking about his final opponent.

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Jannik Sinner talks about his record against Daniil Medvedev ahead of the final clash

Sinner will be looking forward to his first tour-level win against the World No.3 Daniil Medvedev in the final of the China Open. The Italian has an abysmal 6-0 head-to-head record against the 2021 US Open champion. The pair have faced twice this year, in the final of the Miami Open and the Rotterdam Open.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Credit : TPN)

Talking about the tactical changes he could make to his game, Sinner said, “I’ll try to change a couple of things. I never won against him. It’s another great opportunity for me to show my best tennis, trying to change a few things. Hopefully they work. If they don’t, then there’s another time hopefully. I’m very focused about tomorrow & hopefully it’s gonna be a good day.”

Sinner won his first Master title earlier this year in Toronto at the Canadian Open. On the other hand, Medvedev has 6 Masters titles to his name. Although the Russian has confirmed his spot in the year-end ATP Finals to be played in Turin, Jannik Sinner is yet to confirm his spot and is the next in line to qualify.

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