Jannik Sinner, still recovering from illness that had him throwing up on court in his last match, blew Carlos Alcaraz off the court with a fearsome display that will see Novak Djokovic grinning. In an enticing semi final encounter, Alcaraz and Sinner were battling for a spot in the final to face Daniil Medvedev at the China Open. Many expected Alcaraz to make quick work of Sinner given his illness but everyone was in for a surprise.
Jannik Sinner beat his rival 7-6(4), 6-1 to not only hand Alcaraz a crushing loss but also to take a lead in their budding head to head rivalry. The Italian now a win more than his counterpart with 4-3. Another vital aspect that will feel the effects of this result is the compelling race to end the year as the top ranked men’s player.
Jannik Sinner dispatches Carlos Alcaraz in easiest encounter yet
Jannik Sinner took to the Diamond court at China Open with a cloud of uncertainty over him. He had been unwell and it was evident that the Italian had not completely recovered just yet. He looked a little listless at times in the first set. And when you’re playing a certain someone named Carlos Alcaraz, you don’t want a single hiccup to derail you. The match seemed poised for an easy Alcaraz victory that would see a repeat of the US open semi final between the Spaniard and Daniil Medvedev.
There were times in the first set when Sinner was holding on for dear life. Alcaraz seemed not to be playing at his best, but good enough to see off a compromised Sinner. yet, the Italian showed great nerves to not only hold on, but to strike back with venom.
Having trailed by a break not once but twice in the first set, Sinner forced a tie breaker only to dominate it and capture the opening set. This proved to be the undoing of Alcaraz, who never recovered from the smash and grab by Sinner, falling listlessly in the second set.
Sinner took courage from his first set turnaround to come out guns blazing in the second to great effect. Alcaraz, seemingly still comprehending what had happened in the previous set just seemed to never get a grip on the game. While he did manage a few break points in the first couple of return games, he never cleared the last hurdle. Sinner, was in no mood to relent.
The Italian continued his onslaught and broke Alcaraz multiple times to see him off 6-1.
Jannik Sinner helps Novak Djokovic out
Novak Djokovic may be playing and winning Grand Slams as if he were 25 years old still, but the reality remains that his body is not as young as it used to be. But the Serbian has been smart about preserving himself over the course of the grueling tennis season. Rather than play all important events and faring just well everywhere, Djokovic has made the very smart choice of picking where he plays and exceling there. He continues to play to win, as he always has.
Another shift in his priorities is the Majors versus the year-ending World No. 1 rank. Until recently, Djokovic was unwilling to compromise on either. he wanted the World No. 1 spot come end of season just as much as he wanted his name engraved on all the Grand Slams. But that is not the case anymore. he already has the record for ending most seasons as the best player on the planet and he also now has the most Majors. But when it comes to Majors, Djokovic wants much more.
With his new principle in place, Djokovic opted to miss out on the Asian swing of the season. It would mean too much of draining journey. It would entail making the journey to Asia, settling on there before starting off on his media duties before finally playing two events. He simply opted to give his bones some well-earned rest and give Carlos Alcaraz a glimmer of hope in closing the gap between himself and the Serbian. The young Spaniard himself confessed that is what he was looking to do during his time in Asia. Alas, Sinner chose this moment to show his potential and further the Increasing excitement amongst fans to see a rivalry blossom between the two youngsters.
Alcaraz will now have to settle for 180 points as opposed to the 500 he was eyeing at China Open. But he has an even bigger opportunity to close the gap on his Serbian rival at the upcoming Shanghai Masters, which offers up a cool 1000 ATP points. Djokovic will be hoping to see Sinner or Medvedev once again thwart the Spaniard in his quest to pull himself closer to the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
