The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continues to provide exciting matches.
On Wednesday at the China Open, Alcaraz and World No. 1 Sinner faced off in one of the most exciting matches of 2024. Alcaraz secured the title in Beijing by winning the third-set tie-break, finishing with a score of 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). This intense match lasted three hours and 21 minutes, marking it as the longest match in the tournament’s history.
“He could [have won] in two, I could win in two, he could win in three. It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz, who now leads Sinner 6-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Alcaraz’s triumphs against Sinner this year (Indian Wells, Roland Garros, Beijing) mark the first time that either man has won three matches in a row against the other.
With his Beijing victory, Alcaraz did all he could to stay in touch with Sinner in the battle to become ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. The Italian still holds a significant 2,820-point lead over second-place Alcaraz, but the Spaniard has a chance to further close the gap when both players compete at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
“The whole week I’ve been playing great tennis… I feel great on court, I feel great off the court as well with my team,” said Alcaraz. “It’s really important to feel like you are in a good mood all the time off the court, just try to show good tennis and be calm on the court. I couldn’t ask for a better week here in Beijing and I will try to keep going.”