Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his career to capture the second ATP 500 title of his career and qualify for the year-ending ATP Finals. The Italian showed exactly why he is being touted as the future of tennis alongside Carlos Alcaraz, whom he’d beaten emphatically in the semi final just yesterday. With possibly his best season to date, Sinner has now surely announced himself as a force to reckon with at the biggest events.
Before dispatching the King of hard courts Medvedev in the final, Sinner had made quick work of Alcaraz too, making his title win all the more impressive. With this display, coming whilst Sinner was also suffering through illness, the Italian will be a contender at the Shanghai Masters as well.
Jannik Sinner stuns Daniil Medvedev for a place in the ATP Finals
Jannik Sinner surprised many when he saw off Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the semi final of China Open. While the two players were on par when it came to their head to head record, with 3 apiece, Sinner had been unwell. Many expected Alcaraz to get to the final without much of a hassle but Sinner had other ideas. He defeated Carlos emphatically in straight sets, with utter domination on the second set, winning the match 7-6(4), 6-1.
While Sinner beating Alcaraz was never a far-fetched idea, perhaps his record against the Russian Daniil Medvedev had many confident that the title would go to the US Open runner-up. Alas, Sinner pulled another rabbit out of the hat, once again seeing his opponent off in straight sets, 7-6(2), 7-6(2).
With this win and title that comes with 500 ATP points, Jannik Sinner has now qualified for the ATP Finals. There too Sinner should pose a challenge for the likes of Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, who will surely go in as the top three favorites. But perhaps now Sinner has earned a place in the conversation.
Seeing as this was the first time he ever beat Daniil Medvedev, Sinner had a bit of light-hearted comment to make in his post-match on court interview.
“First of all Daniil, thanks for letting me win one match.”
Jannik Sinner after finally beating Daniil Medvedev:
“First of all Daniil, thanks for letting me win 1 match.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z91jQzNmBy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 4, 2023
Sinner ready to rival Alcaraz and Medvedev?
Coming into the final with a measly record of 0-6 against Daniil Medvedev seemed ominous for Jannik Sinner. And with the kind of form Medvedev has been on hardcourts this season, it seemed likely to be an easy task for the Russian. He has reached the semifinal of all hardcourt events he’s played in this year. Not many would have bet against him in the China Open final; however, Sinner has been on the verge of truly breaking out for a while now and he has done exactly that with his latest win.
The progress for Sinner has been pretty evident this season, having also won his very first ATP Masters earlier at the Rogers Cup in Canada. While there has never been much of a doubt when it comes to his tennis acumen, it was his physicality and mentality that left a lot to desire for his fans. It looks like he may just have taken a big step forward in those aspects as well now.
Despite not being fully fit due to illness, Sinner held his own especially against Alcaraz. he was clearly still under the weather in the semi final and seemed at times to struggle to keep his energy up, but he found solutions to everything the Spaniard threw at him. he was successful, and in fact magnificent, in the way he navigated points and came out on top in most.
With his highest ranking ever of World No. 4 guaranteed now with the China Open title, Sinner is certainly ready to challenge the stalwarts of the sport. However, he will have to ensure he can stay fit and recover well from grueling matches. He has shown a bit of inability to compete at his true level right after high-quality grueling matches in the past (think Cincinnati Masters and the US Open). But of he is to establish himself amongst the elite of the elite, he will have to be able to face the likes of Djokovic, Alcaraz and Medvedev in consecutive matches and come out on top. All in all, however, the stage is certainly set for the Italian to excel.
