A final to remember, worthy of a new era. Carlos Alcaraz (21) is the new king of Beijing after narrowly defeating the world number one, Jannik Sinner (23). Both players delivered a tennis spectacle lasting over 3 hours and 20 minutes, in which the player from Murcia stood out and overcame the stoicism displayed by the Italian in three sets (7-6, 4-6, and 6-7). In their tenth encounter, they once again showed why they are the best representatives of a generation that aspires to offer historic matches akin to the Big Three. With this tournament, Carlos Alcaraz secures his 16th title on the ATP circuit, the same number held by Jannik Sinner.
Sinner was aiming to reclaim the Beijing crown, while Alcaraz sought his 'vendetta' because it was on this same court where the Italian was his executioner last year. The intensity of the battle was already palpable from the first set. The Spaniard took to the Diamond court of the Beijing tennis complex with more impetus and confidence in his shots. He comfortably held his first service game and had three break points to go up 0-2, which he squandered due to some unforced errors and inaccuracies.
The display of shots, lobs, and net approaches by the player from Murcia helped him break Sinner's second serve and take the lead in the set with 1-3, a lead that he extended to 1-4 on his own serve. The crosscourt backhand and the repertoire of long exchanges from the El Palmar tennis player were key in that phase of the match.
With a 3-5 scoreline, Jannik Sinner started to feel more comfortable on the court and took advantage of the first break point he had to make it 4-5. Later, with his serve, he leveled the match and both players took the set to the tie break. Carlos Alcaraz was twice in the lead and had two set points, but the Italian managed to string together four consecutive points to win the first set (8-6). The world number one gradually improved his game and capitalized on all the early opportunities that came his way.
In the second set, both players displayed a game in which they showed their state of grace. Both Sinner and Alcaraz showed more effectiveness in their first serves - some exceeding 200 km/h - something that cost them more in the first set. The Italian, more confident after winning the tie break, was untouchable on his serves. The same was true for the Spaniard. The equality was maximum. But from 3-3 onwards, the attacks dwindled and the pulse was harder to resist: Alcaraz had two break points that he did not capitalize on, and in the following game, Sinner had a break point and showed such resilience that they reached six deuces. It was 15 minutes of play.
After that game, Jannik Sinner served again and once more Alcaraz managed to get two break points and secured the advantage for the set (4-5) with some long rallies and cross-court shots from the baseline. The player from Murcia, who was seeded second in the competition, managed to win the set with a love game. The final was tied.
In the third and definitive set, the tennis player from Murcia extended that improved version of himself and took control of the match in the initial moments of the set. Both players were focused on not making mistakes, but Alcaraz delivered the decisive blow with winning forehand shots. During the third game of the set (Sinner was serving), Alcaraz broke his serve and then quickly dominated his own serve, winning a game to love to take a 1-3 lead that seemed uphill for the Italian. The player from Murcia had two opportunities to make it 1-4, but the tenacity of the ATP number one prevented it.
It was then that Jannik Sinner made a comeback. After reaching 3-4, he proved to be unbeatable on Carlos Alcaraz's serve and leveled the score to 4-4. The tie persisted until the tiebreak, when the scales tipped in favor of the new Beijing champion. Sinner started off with an imperial display, taking a 3-0 lead, but Alcaraz summoned the epic spirit of great players and triumphed on Chinese soil with a magnificent run of 7-0 - thus delivering a 3-7 score in the tiebreak.
The tennis player from El Palmar, who on Monday regained the number two spot in the world rankings, has won six out of the 10 matches he has played against Jannik Sinner.