Sinner seals QF spot with another Beijing comeback

  • Posted: Sep 28, 2024

Jannik Sinner’s steely resilience has been on full display so far this week at the China Open.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Saturday notched his second consecutive comeback win at this year’s edition of the ATP 500 in Beijing. Sinner rallied past Roman Safiullin 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to maintain his record of having reached at least the quarter-finals at every tour-level event he has played in 2024.

After coming from a set down to oust Nicolas Jarry in the opening round, Sinner again found himself in trouble in the Chinese capital after the free-hitting Safiullin broke serve twice en route to the opening set. Yet the top seed responded emphatically to seal a two-hour, 22-minute triumph on the Capital Group Diamond Court.

Sinner’s raw power and consistency from the baseline gradually wore down his opponent, and the Italian won seven straight games from 2-2 in the second set to take control of the second-round encounter. Sinner finished the match having converted four of 13 break points he earned against Safiullin, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With his 57th tour-level triumph of 2024, Sinner tied Alexander Zverev for the most victories this season. The next challenge for the Italian in Beijing will be a last-eight meeting with Jiri Lehecka, who earlier overcame Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Saturday’s victory was another small step towards becoming ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for Sinner. He is the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, in which his current advantage over second-placed Zverev stands at 2,985 points.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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