Beijing: Star Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday scripted an epic comeback victory over Italian player Jannik Sinner to win the China Open in Beijing.
In the three-hour, 21-minute encounter, Alcaraz won the final bout 7-6, 4-6, 6-7 to seal the title.
Sinner had a promising start to the final after he defeated Alcaraz in the first set by 7-6. However, the Spaniard made a strong comeback to clinch the following two sets. In the second set, Alcaraz dominated over the World number one and won it by 4-6. In the third and final, Sinner tried to make a comeback, but it was the Spaniard who had the last laugh.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said that he did not lose hope during the final match against Sinner.
"I never lost hope... Honestly, I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I'm not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn't lose hope, but I thought, 'Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close'," Alcaraz was quoted by ATP as saying.
"I played great points just to make 3-all and after that I just thought to go for it. If I lost it, at least I went for it. So that's all I thought in that moment," he added.
The Spaniard added that he had his chances in the first set but couldn't make it.
"I had my chances in the first set, didn't make it. Three set points, didn't make it. But in general, I'm proud about myself with the way that I [played] the match, the way that I managed everything. Being a set down with a lot of opportunities in the second set... 4-3, break point down, and to be able to come back after that... it has been a pretty good time, pretty good match," he further added.
According to ATP, Alcaraz now leads his Head2Head series against Sinner to 6-4 after winning all three of their encounters this season (Indian Wells, Roland Garros, Beijing).
The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner, which is set to remain a major headline-maker on the ATP Tour for years to come, has swung back and forth since their first tour-level clash in 2021, but this marks the first time that either man has won three matches in a row against the other.
—ANI