Sixth seed Jannik Sinner produced a master class in aggressive tennis to hand Carlos Alcaraz a 7-6 (4), 6-1 defeat in the semifinal of the China Open on Tuesday to book a title clash with the in-form Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner edged a tight first set in the latest chapter of his growing rivalry with world No. 2 Alcaraz before the Italian went on the offensive in the next to reel off the games and seal his fourth victory over the Spaniard in seven meetings.
“I’d say every match against him is very tough,” Sinner said. “We both show great respect and play great. Today I played a little better in the important moments.
“The second set was 6-1 but he had a lot of chances. I tried to stay focused. The first set was more of a roller coaster and I had to stay there mentally.
“I’m very happy about the performance.”
Earlier, second seed Medvedev had an easier than expected 6-4 6-3 semi-final win over familiar rival Alexander Zverev.
This was the fifth meeting between the pair this year and although Russian world No. 3 Medvedev collected three of the previous four, Zverev had won their most recent clash in Cincinnati.
Zverev won the Chengdu title last week, but the German’s seven-match winning streak ended as Medvedev’s strong serve saw him save all four breakpoints he faced.
“I’m really happy with my level. Roof closed, different conditions today, much faster,” Medvedev said.
“Both of us are big servers so it came down to a few opportunities and I managed to serve better when I had breakpoints to save than he did.”
