Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in seven tries and secured the ninth title of his career by prevailing 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in the China Open final on Tuesday night.
There was not a single break of serve in the entire match; Sinner saved the only break point he faced, while Medvedev fought off five. The 22-year-old was simply too good in both tiebreakers to triumph after two hours and one minute.
“Daniil, thanks for letting me win at least one match,” Sinner joked at the trophy ceremony. “We have had some very tough battles, especially this year. Thanks for making me a much better player. I have been training a lot to beat you. My team are working a lot. Thank you very much and it is special to share this moment with you.”
The Italian climbed from No. 7 to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP rankings following Wednesday’s result.
Both Sinner and Medvedev now head to the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where they are in the same section of the draw and could meet in the quarterfinals. Sinner is a virtual lock to clinch his spot in the Nitto ATP Finals at the conclusion of Shanghai, even if he loses his first match.
nice one, Sinner
There wasn’t much between them