Carlos Alcaraz dethroned world number one Jannik Sinner as China Open champion with an absorbing three-set win over the Italian in Wednesday's final in Beijing.
After coming up short in a first-set tie-breaker, Alcaraz atoned for those mistakes when it mattered most right at the death, reeling off seven straight points to prevail 6-7[6] 6-4 7-6[3] at the end of a three-hour and 20-minute epic.
The 21-year-old's mesmerising win also saw him triumph against Sinner for the third time in a row following his successes in this year's Indian Wells and French Open semi-finals, both of which Sinner also won the first set in before an Alcaraz turnaround.
"He could win in two, I could win in two, he could win in three, it was a really close match, Jannik is the best player in the world for me. The level he's playing is unbelievable, real high-quality tennis," Alcaraz told the ATP Tour media channels after his victory.
"I had my chances in the first set, didn't make it. I'm proud of myself with the way I dealt with the match and managed everything. I'm really happy that even though he broke my serve I gave myself the chance to keep going."
En route to the 2023 title, however, Sinner had overcome Alcaraz in the final four and was aiming for a 15th consecutive match win in Beijing, which would have also seen him become just the second man to defend the China Open crown after Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) to win the China Open 🏆pic.twitter.com/Go6P4bwRZI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 2, 2024
The Italian took a leaf out of Alcaraz's comeback book in the first set, having fallen 5-2 down before breaking the Spaniard as he was serving for the set, while also saving three set points to take a 1-0 lead.
However, some inopportune unforced errors from Sinner in the ninth game of the second set allowed Alcaraz to earn a pivotal break for 5-4, and the world number three convincingly held to love to force a decider, in which he also drew first blood with a break for 2-1.
Sinner was not giving up the ghost, though, and a wave of Alcaraz errors saw the Italian level the final set at 4-4, before the defending champion inched ever closer to back-to-back titles by winning the first three points of the tie-breaker.
Alcaraz's ferocious forehand began to work its wonders, though, as the 21-year-old remarkably turned the tide with a seven-point winning sequence to win his 16th career title, and a particularly historic one at that.
The Spaniard is now the first men's player to ever win an ATP 500 title on all three surfaces, and not long after admitting to problems with his mental state after a second-round US Open exit, Alcaraz changed his tune drastically on Wednesday.
"I never lose hope, but I know the stats. Three love down, two mini-breaks for him, I didn't lose hope but I thought 'OK, I need to give everything that I have'. I played great points to make 3-3 and just needed to go for it. If I lose, at least I went for it," Alcaraz added.
"During the whole week I've been playing great tennis, in general I feel great on court and feel great off the court with my team. It's important to feel that you are in a good moment off the court. I couldn't ask for a better week in Beijing."
Meanwhile, Sinner's defeat ended the 23-year-old's six-match winning sequence in top-level finals, and the world number one is now 4-6 in his head-to-head series with the new China Open champion.
Ben Knapton
