Beijing
Sinner kickstarts Beijing redemption run with Cilic win
World No. 2 sets Atmane rematch at Chinese ATP 500
September 25, 2025
China Open
Jannik Sinner improves to 10-1 at the China Open in Beijing.
By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner made a quick start in his bid to reclaim the China Open trophy in Beijing, where he powered past two-time finalist Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2.
Competing for the first time since his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, with which he also ceded the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner bounced back in emphatic fashion. The 24-year-old Italian, who triumphed on his Beijing debut in 2023 and reached last year’s final, saved the only break point he faced upon return to the Chinese ATP 500 event, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Starting off STRONG! 💪@janniksin defeats Cilic 6-2 6-2 and advances into Round 2 in Beijing@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/8W6A9G9003
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 25, 2025
“I try to put a lot of concentration into the first-round matches, because I know that many things can go wrong,” said Sinner, who has won his past 27 opening-round matches since Cincinnati in 2023. “After you usually find your rhythm, your pace, the speed of the courts much better. I try to prepare myself in the best possible way. I came here quite early in order to feel the conditions.
“I’m very happy to deliver this kind of performance today. Marin is a very tough player to play against, his peak is quite high. I managed to break him quite early in both sets, which gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Sinner 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 Spaniard, who is competing in Tokyo, by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Sinner will next face Terence Atmane for the second time in as many months. The French qualifier earlier defeated Zhang Zhizhen for his first tour-level win since his surprise run to the semi-finals in Cincinnati, where he was halted by Sinner in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.
Earlier on Day in 1 the Chinese capital, Alexandre Muller sprang an early upset by rallying past Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 for his first Top 10 win on hard courts and third overall (3-9). He will next play Fabian Marozsan, who ousted Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(1), 6-3 on his Beijing debut.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also booked his spot in the second round with a clinical 6-1, 6-3 victory over Camilo Ugo Carabelli. The Spaniard, who hit 21 winners, including six aces, awaits eighth seed Daniil Medvedev or Cameron Norrie next in Beijing.
