Young Italian phenom Jannik Sinner backed up a dominant win in the semi-finals against top seed Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz by beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets (7-6,7-6) in the Beijing Open finals played on October 4.

The number 7 ranked player, who is seeking a place in the ATP finals set for November, made an incredible case for himself with this tournament win.

After an absolute masterclass against Alcaraz in the semi-final, Sinner had to reset emotionally for the final against Medvedev, who was confident after his straight victory over Alexander Zverev in the previous round.

The match would prove to be a serving clinic, as neither player lost his serve the entire match. Sinner’s serve held up relatively better than Medvedev’s, as the former only had to stave off one break point, as opposed to the five saved by Medvedev. Winning a staggering 81 per cent of his first serve points, he also won 71 per cent on his second serve to ensure he stayed in control of his service games, even when he did not make a first serve. The match was pretty even, with the real separation coming in the tie-breaks.

Sinner was masterful during the tie-breaks and overwhelmed his opponent with his power. The Russian was forced to absorb enormous pressure, as Sinner was punishing with his groundstrokes and worked his opponent on both wings. Sinner would dominate both tie-breaks, winning them both 7 – 2.

With this tournament win, Sinner puts himself firmly in contention for the fourth qualifying spot in the ATP Finals. He is over 1200 points ahead of his next competitor, Andrey Rublev, with two Masters 1000 competitions left on the calendar. The Italian, who was an alternate in 2021, is seeking his first outright qualification for the end-of-year competition. Sinner’s next tournament will be the Shanghai Masters 1000, which is already underway.

Due to his rank, he will receive a first-round Bye and is set to play his first match in the Round of 64 against American Marcos Giron on October 6.