Carlos Alcaraz bests Jannik Sinner in thrilling China Open final

The win gave Alcaraz his fourth ATP Tour title of 2024 and 16th of his career. After his victory, the humble Alcaraz called Sinner "the best player in the world" and said it's always a privilege to lock horns with his contemporary, whom he also defeated at Roland Garros and Indian Wells this year.

"Jannik showed once again that he is the best player in the world," Alcaraz said, via EuroSport. "At least for me, the level that he is playing is unbelievable. It's a high quality of tennis. Physically and mentally, he is a beast."

Going into the deciding set, the World No. 1 Sinner had lost only one of his last 19 tiebreakers. Alcaraz knew he had his back to the wall when he went down 3-0 in the final set tiebreaker.  

"I never lose hope, but I knew about that stat, that every tie-break that Jannik plays, is almost [always in his favor]," Alcaraz said. "I thought that in the third set, I'm not going to lie - 3-0 down, two mini-breaks for him. I didn't lose hope, but I thought, 'OK, I have to give everything I have to try to give myself the best opportunity to get close.'"

Among those seven consecutive points, Alcaraz nailed some groundstrokes that left onlookers in awe. In one of those rallies, the Spaniard showed his vastly improving touch around the net. 

Wednesday's match was another reminder of why the Alcaraz versus Sinner rivalry will remain a headliner on the Tour for the foreseeable future. The two young stars could scintillate crowds again in a week at the Shanghai Masters and the year-ending ATP Finals.