Alcaraz rallies past Sinner to win China Open and make it 3-for-3 against his top rival this year

BEIJING (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz won seven straight points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) and win the China Open on Wednesday, extending his recent mastery over his biggest rival — who is dealing with an ongoing doping case.

The third-ranked Alcaraz has now won all three of his meetings with Sinner this year, having also come out on top in semifinals at Indian Wells and the French Open.

“He could (have won) in two, I could win in two, he could win in three. It was a really close match,” Alcaraz said. “Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me. The level that he’s playing, it’s unbelievable. It’s a really high quality of tennis. Of shots, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.”

Alcaraz ended Sinner’s winning streak at 15 matches and denied the Italian three straight titles after trophies in Cincinnati and at the U.S. Open.

Sinner, who was the defending champion in Beijing, had to refocus after the World Anti-Doping Agency announced on Saturday that it was appealing a decision to clear him of wrongdoing following two positive steroid tests.

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Alcaraz wasted a 5-2 lead in the first set and also let Sinner get back in the third after leading 4-2 before eventually edging it out after also falling behind 3-0 in the final-set tiebreaker.

Alcaraz changed both of his shoes after falling behind 2-0 in the third-set tiebreaker. He then lost one more point before going on a seven-point run that displayed why he’s a threat anywhere on the court. There were inside-out forehand winners — including one on his first match point — a difficult volleyed approach shot, and a drop shot, too.

“I’m not going to lie: 3-0 down, two mini-breaks for him, so I didn’t lose hope but I thought, ‘OK, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give me the opportunity to be close,’” Alcaraz said. “I played great points just to make the 3-3 and after that I just think to go for it. If I lose it, at least I went for it.”

Alcaraz produced 55 winners to Sinner’s 30 but also had 52 unforced errors to his opponent’s 31 — a sign of their contrasting styles: Alcaraz’s attacking game vs. Sinner’s steady baseline approach.

The match — which was played in cool conditions with the retractable roof open — lasted 3 hours, 21 minutes to make it the longest contest in tournament history (since 2004).

Sinner and Alcaraz have accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them — evenly split at two each: Sinner won the Australian Open and the U.S. Open while Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon.

Alcaraz improved to 6-4 in his career against Sinner after their 10th meeting in what has become tennis’ top rivalry following the 60 matches between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

“I respect you a lot as a player but even more as a person,” Alcaraz told Sinner during the trophy ceremony.

Sinner congratulated Alcaraz for an “amazing” job.

“Hopefully we can still play a couple of more times in the future, which I’m quite sure,” Sinner said. “It’s always a big pleasure to share the court with you.”

WADA is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner in a case that might not be resolved before Sinner begins the defense of his Australian Open title in January.

Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but was not banned in a decision by an independent tribunal announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency in August because the ITIA determined he was not to blame.

Sinner’s accepted explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.

Sinner thanked his team and his family for their support.

“Today we fell short but it was a great battle again and in a couple of days there’s again a new opportunity,” Sinner said, looking ahead to his next event in Shanghai.

Sabalenka extends winning streak to 15 matches

Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka matched her career-best of 15 straight wins after beating Madison Keys 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the women’s tournament in Beijing.

The three-time Grand Slam winner started her streak with a title at Cincinnati in August and continued with a run to the championship at the U.S. Open last month. She also won the Australian Open earlier in the year. Her previous streak of 15 was achieved across the 2020-21 seasons.

“When you’re able to sacrifice a lot and you’re able to work hard and you’re able to get these wins, that’s the best feeling,” Sabalenka said.

The Belarusian has won 30 of 31 sets played during her current streak, dropping only one set to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round of the U.S. Open.

That form guide quickly played out again as Sabalenka broke the No. 24-ranked Keys in the third game of the first set and then dominated on serve throughout an efficient 65-minute outing, which improved her head-to-head record against the American to 4-1.

Sabalenka will play Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals after the Czech player routed Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-0.

Also, Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen beat Amanda Anisimova 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Shanghai Masters

French veteran Gael Monfils eased into the second round of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur.

The 38-year-old Monfils will play the 22nd-seeded Argentine Sebastian Baez next.

Arthur Rinderknech also advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over American Reilly Opelka, while Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands defeated Pablo Carreño Busta 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Also, Alexandre Muller rallied from a set down for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Italian Luca Nardi.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis