Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in the latest installment of the best matchup in tennis at the China Open

And then it was 6:4.

In a match that showcased the thrill of their rivalry at the top of men's tennis, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win the China Open in Beijing. The world No. 1 trailed 2-5 in the first set and 4-6 in the tiebreak, forcing a win in the first set. In the decisive tiebreak he led 3-0. But Alcaraz won seven points in a row from then on, including two that reached the height of nonsense, securing an overall win he deserved.

“He could win in two games, I could win in two games, he could win in three games, I could win in three games,” Alcaraz told Tennis TV on court after the match.

Alcaraz, who has played his best tennis of 2024 since his US Open third-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp, was upset by losing the first set. He was getting more and more ahead. He did what he had done in all the tournaments in Beijing, including the Davis Cup: he flew to the net to block volleys; We throw the forehand into the corners of the court and shoot passing throws. He took a 0-15 lead in all six of Sinner's service games and scored five break points, including three in the second game of the set, but only converted one.

While Alcaraz was able to play his best tennis more freely, Sinner found his best when he needed it most. He saved all three break points. Then, trailing 5-6 in the first set tiebreak, he hit Alcaraz's first serve into the open court, after which the Spaniard could only fight. Two cheap points later, a set that Alcaraz should have won was out of his reach.

“Mentally he’s a beast,” Alcaraz said of Sinner on the pitch.

The pattern continued in the second set, with Alcaraz creating chances only for them to be missed or snatched away by Sinner.

That meant that when the Spaniard actually broke in the ninth game of the second set after saving two break points in the eighth game, a moment that would normally feel like a change of momentum was more like a fulfillment of what had come before was. In winning the set 6-4, Alcaraz scored 18 winners with 14 unforced errors, while Sinner had an even score of 10-10.

Alcaraz took the lead with a break in the third game of the third set and then had Sinner on the ropes at 15:40 with a chance to take a 4-1 lead. Sinner found a way out again. And after saving the two games, Alcaraz did the thing he most wanted to eliminate from his game – and has largely accomplished it in the time since his US Open loss. He played his worst tennis, at the worst possible time. Three errors when the score was 4:3 gave Sinner a break.

It was a brief lull in a match that was otherwise building to a crescendo. In an increasingly familiar sight, Sinner and Alcaraz forced each other to even greater heights. They don't just drop balls that other players can't reach. They run down balls that they couldn't reach either, until the other one forces them to.

With the score at 0-3 in the tiebreak and given Sinner's 18-1 record in 19 tiebreaks, it looked as if the Italian's better feel for the important points would make the difference. Instead, Alcaraz saved his decisive moments for the most important of all.

“I thought: OK, I have to give it my all. “Give me the opportunity to be close,” Alcaraz said in court.

“If I lose, at least I tried.”

First he pulled Sinner forward and fended off a simple volley to make it 3-1. Then, after Sinner upended a jagged return on the second serve with a lob, Alcaraz did it again, only to find himself stretching for a disguised push down the line. Nevertheless, he shot the ball away to make it 3-2.

Two more routine points later he fended off an inside-out forehand to make it 5-3, and Sinner finally made a mistake on a key point, putting Alcaraz ahead 6-3. This time he didn't miss the lead after three hours and 20 minutes.

Where this game plays into the overall fabric of their rivalry is difficult to see. While Sinner lost to world number 69 Roman Safiullin on Saturday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it would appeal the verdict in the doping trial against the world number 1, according to The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found that he had not committed any fault or negligence in two positive tests for a banned anabolic steroid. WADA is calling for a ban of between one and two years and for Sinner to be held to some degree of guilt.

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Sinner, who won the Cincinnati Open just two days before the ITIA released its first verdict, reiterated in press conferences in Beijing that he found security and comfort in knowing he had “done nothing wrong” after winning the US Open admitted that people are closed to him, he could feel a change in his behavior on the court. He didn't seem much affected on Wednesday; Alcaraz played better tennis more often and now leads the ATP Tour with two wins.

In the broader context of men's tennis, it plays partly the same role as it has since the fast-paced quarterfinals of the US Open in 2022. Sinner and Alcaraz are each other's biggest problem. What has changed in recent years is that they are now undeniably everyone else's biggest problem, including Novak Djokovic. They split the four majors in 2024 and Alcaraz has returned to No. 2 in the world behind Sinner with his run in Beijing after Alexander Zverev withdrew from the tournament.

Jannik Sinner's position as world number 1 is firmly established for the rest of 2024. (Fred Lee/Getty Images)

Sinner entered the final with a 59-5 record for 2024 and a 39-2 record on hard courts; Alcaraz was 47-9 on the year. But in the mini-battle for 2024 he is ahead 3-0.

They are the benchmark for men's tennis, and although the question of how long the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will remain is the one to be watched most closely, the number is 6-4, Alcaraz.

After ten games, things only get better from here.

“It wasn't the loser you felt for.” It was the rest of the field'

Analysis by tennis writer Charlie Eccleshare

Watching this game, you felt that it wasn't the loser that you felt. It was the rest of the men's field who must have been watching, wondering how on earth they were going to get close to these two in the months and years to come. Perhaps just an intervention by WADA in its appeal process in the Sinners doping case will be enough.

Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the year's four Grand Slams equally, and this thrilling final simply underlined how far ahead of everyone else they are. Not that they need more of it, but both players will gain a lot of confidence from this. Alcaraz is of course the winner, but even Sinner will certainly be very proud to be part of such a rivalry.

Losing three times in a row to his great rival will be painful, especially as he was just two points away from victory here, but there is so little between the two and Sinner remains on track to become world No.1 by the end of the year .

The way the two are raising each other's standards, the way the Big Three used to do, is great news for them and the sport – and terrible news for any other player who has to compete against them.

(Top photo: Fred Lee / Getty Images)