As in a Hitchcock thriller, the twist comes at the end. Three hours and 21′ of pure tension and top-level tennis, between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, were resolved by the impressive series of seven points scored by Carlitos in the tie break of the third set, recovering the 3-0 gap in favor of South Tyrol. The Spanish tennis player took home the ATP 500 title in Beijing, his fourth of the season after Indian Wells, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, displacing the outgoing champion and Italian friend/rival.
Sinner, however, suffered his first defeat in the final out of the seven played in 2024, the sixth of the season, half of which were at the hands of the Spaniard. “These types of matches can go in both directions. Carlos and I know each other well, we try to push ourselves towards the limits. It’s a privilege and an honor to be part of all this with him”, said the Italian in the press conference , who in recent days found himself in the middle of the tournament catapulted into the nightmare of Wada’s appeal on the clostebol case when everything seemed behind us.
Jannik started tied in the first set, ending up 5-2 down, but recovered until he recovered and closed the tie-break (8-6), recovering two set points and keeping Alcaraz, author of a frightening performance, at bay. Having exited in the second round of the US Open, the Spaniard put the turbo in motion at the start, giving the sensation of a marked final: three break points in the second game, all thanks to the forehand. But Sinner, thanks to his pacer setup, maintained his position in the second set: the first six games slipped away without any surprises. In the seventh, Alcaraz had the first two break points of the set.
Sinner also had some then, but he didn’t exploit them. In the interminable eighth game, which lasted around 20 points, the blue could have had the opportunity to serve for the match, but Alcaraz held the turn with impressive strikes and percussion. Instead, the Spaniard made the break immediately after, winning the second set 6-4.
In the third, Carlitos pushed the accelerator to take a 3-1 lead. Sinner held the fifth game, recovering two break points, and avoiding the early closure of the final. He had the strength to get back into the match again: he stood his ground and, at 4-3 for the Spaniard, he earned the break points. Three all together, the second of which turned into reality with Alcaraz clumsily throwing away a forehand after the tape correction had provided him with the assist to close the point. At 5-5, Jannik conceded another break point by missing a backhand volley, but managed to get back into the game once again with a burst of his kidneys.
So the thriller was resolved at the second tie break, inevitably. Sinner started 3-0, but Alcaraz, after the brief stop to replace his pair of shoes, scored seven consecutive points. Seven like the victories he now boasts against his friend/rival in 11 matches played, while he draws the score in the finals 1-1. “The tie break is made up of small details: at 3-0, a serve touched the tape, it could have been 4-0. I didn’t serve well. A difficult match and it hurts to lose like this.”
For further information 
Alcaraz had words of affection for Jannik, in the logical sporting rivalry destined to grow: “I respect him as a player, even more as a man. It’s a special victory.
When Jannik and I play it’s a positive thing for tennis because we always show a very intense, very tight match, big points, great rallies. I think people who don’t watch tennis, probably thanks to these types of matches, will start watching tennis or even coach it.”
The next event in the Sinner-Alcaraz saga is the upcoming Shanghai Masters, with a possible clash in the semi-finals. In the Chinese financial capital Novak Djokovic made his voice heard on the Wada appeal, hoping that the case “is resolved as quickly as possible”, without forgetting the “inconsistencies in the system. It must be very difficult for Sinner. The level of play he has shown from the beginning of this story is impressive.”
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
