Match Report
Sinner drops set in Atmane win, reaches Beijing QFs
De Minaur defeats Rinderknech in third-set tie-break
September 27, 2025
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Jannik Sinner in action on Saturday in Beijing, where he won the title in 2023.
By Sam Jacot
Jannik Sinner overcame a mid-match scare against Terence Atmane on Saturday at the China Open, where he eventually broke the resistance of the French qualifier to earn a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 second-round win.
The Italian defeated Atmane with relative ease last month in the semi-finals in Cincinnati, where the Frenchman had enjoyed a breakthrough run to the last four. However, the top seed in Beijing was pushed far harder at the ATP 500 event.
After losing a tight first set, Atmane broke Sinner’s serve three times in the second set to level, frequently rushing the World No. 2 with his depth and precision. Yet the 23-year-old was unable to inflict just a sixth defeat of the season on Sinner, who upped his aggression in the decider to eventually advance to his 13th consecutive hard-court quarter-final after two hours and 22 minutes.
“The game style he plays is quite unique and he is a lefty and we don’t have so many. He is a great, great player and has improved a lot again since Cincinnati,” Sinner said. “Today he struggled a little bit in the third set with some cramp but it was a tough, tricky second-round match. I was twice up with a break in the second set and I couldn’t use it, but this is the sport and this happens. Maybe the concentration went down a little bit at times and some nerves, but I am very happy to be through to the next round.”
The former Beijing champion Sinner defeated Marin Cilic in the opening round in his first match since he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final. The Italian ceded the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings with his defeat to the Spaniard but will aim to keep pace in his battle with rival Alcaraz for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours across the remaining months of the season. He trails the 22-year-old, who is competing in Tokyo, by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Sinner has won his past 61 matches on hard courts against players outside the Top 10 and will hope to extend that run when he meets World No. 57 Fabian Marozsan in the last eight. Marozsan defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Alex de Minaur clawed past Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) to seal his spot in the quarter-finals in Beijing. The Australian has earned a Tour-leading 33 hard-court wins this year and has now captured 15 victories at ATP 500 events in 2025, with only Alcaraz (17) earning more, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
De Minaur, who won the title at the ATP 500 in Washington in July, is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, occupying the final qualification spot. The 26-year-old is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. Next up in Beijing, he will meet seventh seed Jakub Mensik or Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.
