Staff Reporter.
Sixth seed Jannik Sinner produced a masterclass in aggressive tennis to hand Carlos Alcaraz a 7-6(4) 6-1 defeat in the semifinal of the China Open on Tuesday to book a title clash with the in-form Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner edged a tight first set in the latest chapter of his growing rivalry with world No 2 Alcaraz before the Italian went on the offensive in the next to reel off the games and seal his fourth win over the Spaniard in seven meetings.
“I’d say every match against him is very tough,” Sinner said. “We both show great respect and play great. Today I played a little better in the important moments.
“The second set was 6-1 but he had a lot of chances. I tried to stay focused. The first set was more of a rollercoaster and I had to stay there mentally.
“I’m very happy about the performance.”
Sinner was the dominant player for much of the opening set, yet Alcaraz’s remarkable ability to get the ball back from seemingly impossible positions continued to keep him in points and games.
The Chinese crowd were gasping with delight as they watched Alcaraz’s forehand fire some stinging winners, but it was also the source of his biggest frustration.
The young Spaniard knows he has the beating of virtually everyone on the ATP Tour, but it is clear that Sinner’s brand of aggressive tennis gives him real concern.
Alcaraz let out screams of frustration in the first set and became increasingly agitated as he was rocked onto the back foot and was increasingly relying on Sinner missing.
That sensation is unusual for a player who tends to take the racket out of his opponent’s hand with his power hitting from the back of the court and his variety with drop shots and his impressive volleying ability.
Yet not for the first time, Sinner had more firepower than Alcaraz from the back of the court and that harsh reality unsettled a rival who is not used to being bullied into submission.
In the end, Alcaraz looked beaten and lacking ideas as he went for increasingly ambitious and unlikely shots that confirmed Sinner had too much for him once again.
Earlier, second seed Medvedev had an easier than expected 6-4 6-3 semifinal win over familiar rival Alexander Zverev.
This was the fifth meeting between the pair this year and although Russian world No 3 Medvedev won three of the previous four, Zverev had won their most recent clash in Cincinnati.
Zverev won the Chengdu title last week, but the German’s seven-match winning streak ended as Medvedev’s strong serve saw him save all four breakpoints he faced.
“I’m really happy with my level. Roof closed, different conditions today, much faster,” Medvedev said.
“Both of us are big servers so it came down to a few opportunities and I managed to serve better when I had breakpoints to save than he did.”