Carlos Alcaraz reached the final of the China Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev and then facing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard won three in a row against Medvedev this year, 7-5, 6-3, and will reach the final for the fifth time in 2024.
Alcaraz defeated home wild card Yunchao Kete Bu 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in the Chinese capital to set up a championship match showdown with top-seeded Sinner.
“It’s going to be a tough game. We know each other well now, but every game is different. So the situation on the court is a little different than the last two games. But we’ll see,” Sinner said. He spoke before the game. Collision – It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10am on Wednesday.
Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, won a tumultuous first set that included five breaks of serve, before accelerating in the second and past Medvedev for an 88-minute victory.
“I’m really happy that I didn’t lose focus for too long in the first set,” Alcaraz said. “Even though I broke down, I quickly recovered. I played really good tennis in my return game at the end of the set, and I’m really happy that I was able to serve 6-5 after that. I played a really good game.”
“Then, once you get set up, it gets a little bit easier and you can play against Daniil with more confidence.”
Since his disappointing second-round loss to Botic van de Zanzschulp at the US Open, Alcaraz has won eight straight games as he chases his first ATP title since his win at the All England Club in July, while Sinner has won 15 games. Match winning streak.
“We have to keep fighting,” Alcaraz said. “You have to keep playing the way you were before and you have to forget about your opponent. You have to focus on yourself and your tennis. So that’s what I was trying to do. Until then, it’s the same. “The moment I got the point in that game, I stayed focused, so I’m really happy that I was able to keep pushing.” ”
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Alcaraz’s victory over Medvedev improves his record against top-five opponents in 2024 to 7-1.
“The Sinner” is set to be a blockbuster hit in Beijing
Meanwhile, Sinner continues to ignore news that he could face a doping ban after appealing the World Anti-Doping Agency’s finding of no fault or negligence in his case.
He was able to rely on his experience against Vu, who had only played one ATP Tour event at the ATP 250 in Hangzhou last week.
After winning the first set, the Italian fought through the second set tie-break to seal the victory in two hours and four minutes.
Sinner is one win away from tying Novak Djokovic as the only players in tournament history to successfully defend their China Open title.
However, Alcaraz heads into the showdown with a 5-4 series lead. This will be the second time the two will meet in the finals. Sinner defeated the Spaniard in three sets and won the Umag trophy in 2022.
“Of course tomorrow too. [Wednesday] It’s going to be completely different,” Sinner said. “We know each other very well. It’s going to be tactical, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Evans advances to Shanghai main tournament
Dan Evans He defeated Australia’s Alex Bolt 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 in the second qualifying round to advance to the main tournament of the Shanghai Masters.
The Briton prepares for the Masters 1000 tournament by playing on the Challenger Tour in Nonthaburi, Thailand, and will now play his next match. Thiago Seabos Wilde They will face Brazil in the first round on Wednesday, and will play the winner. Daniil Medvedev.
billy harris Although he lost to Beybit Zhukaev 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, he was the lucky loser and qualified for the first round, where he will face the Italian national team. Mattia Bellucci First appearance in the main draw of the Masters 1000. alexander zverev Waiting for the second round.
Fils wins Tokyo title in dramatic fashion
talented french man arthur fils He saved championship points and defeated compatriot Hugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 to take the title in a thrilling Tokyo tournament.
Fils, who underwent treatment for his left ankle, fell behind 40-0 in the eighth game of the second set, but recovered and saved a match point in the tiebreaker to snatch the victory.
He beat Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, Ben Shelton, Holger Ruhn and Humbert to win his second ATP 500 title of the season, capping off a stellar week for the 24th-ranked youngster who also won in Hamburg.
“I’m very happy with the tennis that I’m producing,” Fils said. “I’m working a lot and trying to build my tennis. From Hamburg to here, I think I’m getting better now. I still need to improve, but it’s cool.”
British players were active in doubles. julian cash and Lloyd Glasspool They defeated Galloway Behar 6-4, 4-6, 12-10 to lift the trophy.
The ATP 500 trophy is the biggest of Cash’s career to date and his third at the tour level, adding to his wins this year alongside Galloway in Delray Beach and Mallorca.
Meanwhile, for former world No. 7 Grasspool (Hamburg 2022), it was his second win at an ATP 500 tournament, marking his fifth career tour title.
What’s happening on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Shanghai Masters – ATP 1000 (October 2nd-13th)
- Wuhan Open – WTA 1000 (October 6th-12th – Emma Raducanu qualifies)
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- European Open, Antwerp – ATP 250 (October 14th-20th)
- Japan Open, Osaka – WTA 250 (October 14-20)
- Ningbo Open, China – WTA 500 (October 14-20)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Switzerland Indoor, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched. sky tvstreaming service now The Sky Sports app will give Sky Sports customers access to over 50% more live sport at no extra cost this year. Click here for more information.