Jannik Sinner joined Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the third man to win multiple China Open titles, defeating first-time finalist Learner Tien, 6-2, 6-2, for his 21st career title.
With Carlos Alcaraz also claiming hardware this week in Tokyo, the ATP’s top two players have won titles in the same week on tour for the first time since 2020 when Djokovic won in Dubai and Nadal won in Acapulco.
It was another dominant display from the second-ranked Italian, who controlled proceedings from start to finish as she marched to his third ATP title of the season behind 24 winners, including 11 off the forehand wing.
19-year-old Tien, who recorded wins over Francisco Cerundolo, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev en route to his first career final, was unable to match Sinner’s firepower in his bid to become the first American man to win in Beijing since Andy Roddick in 2008.
He fell behind 5-1 in the opening set and, after staying level through the first four games of the second set, saw Sinner race through the final four games to claim his victory in one hour and 12 minutes.
24-year-old Sinner cracked ten aces and saved both break points he faced against the California native. He dropped just 16 points on serve overall, and converted four of six break points to improve to 14-1 lifetime at Beijing.
Sinner, now 21-9 in ATP finals, is the first player to win two titles in Beijing since Nadal claimed his second of two titles in 2017. The Italian, who defeated Medvedev in the 2023 final, lost to Alcaraz in last year’s final.
Tien falls to 5-4 lifetime against the Top 10 with his loss, but will rise to a career-high ranking of No.36 in the ATP rankings. He is the highest-ranked teenager on tour, and the second youngest player in the Top 100, older only than Brazil’s Joao Fonseca.
More to follow…
