- Sinner overcomes Alcaraz to reach final
- Italian to face Medvedev in final
- Sabalenka and Swiatek go through
Jannick Sinner scored an impressive victory over Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka saw off Briton Katie Boulter at the China Open.
Sinner through in straight sets
Top seed Alcaraz was defeated in straight sets by Sinner in the semi-finals of the China Open. Sinner’s impressive performance earned him a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory against the two-time major winner from Spain. This win also extended Sinner’s head-to-head lead against Alcaraz to 4-3.
The 22-year-old Italian expressed that this performance was among the best he had delivered in significant matches. In the other semi-final, Daniil Medvedev secured a solid victory over Alexander Zverev with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3.
Medvedev, ranked third in the world, has a flawless record against Sinner, having won all six of their previous encounters. However, Sinner, now set to reach a career-high fourth in the world rankings, has plans to make tactical adjustments for the final.
Sinner’s dominant display against Alcaraz showcased his powerful groundstrokes which unsettled the 20-year-old Spaniard. He claimed the first-set tie-break without conceding the lead and then defended five break points in the second set, ultimately securing the match 6-1.
Reflecting on their competitive rivalry, Sinner shared, “I would say every match against him is very tough. We always show great respect, we both play great,
“When we play against each other, we try to stay on our limits.”
Sinner’s mental focus in crucial moments and his ability to seize opportunities were key factors in this victory.
“I played a little bit better in the important moments. In the second set, it was 6-1 but he had a lot of chances and I just tried to stay focused.
“The first set was a little more of a rollercoaster and I tried to stay there mentally and obviously I’m very happy with the performance.” he concluded.
Sabalenka has too much for Boulter
In the women’s draw, British number one Boulter faced a tough challenge from world number one Sabalenka. Despite serving for both sets at 5-4, Boulter ultimately lost 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) to the Australian Open champion. Sabalenka, the US Open runner-up, now advances to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the former world number one, secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory against France’s Varvara Gracheva following a rain delay. US Open champion Coco Gauff faced a grueling battle against Croatia’s Petra Martic, winning 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2).
Fellow American Jessica Pegula, the fourth seed, clinched a hard-fought victory against Russian Anna Blinkova, setting up a meeting with Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko. Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur, however, faced an unexpected defeat at the hands of Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who secured a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory after a late surge.
Betting Implications
Medvedev is favourite to prevail against Sinner in the final. At the time of writing bet365 have Medvedev at 4/7 and Sinner at 11/8. Many punters may take this tournament as something as a guide ahead of the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz is favourite to win the tournament in Shanghai ahead of Medvedev and Sinner.
At the time of writing, Swiatek is favourite to win the women’s title at the China Open. Unibet currently have her priced at 5/2 ahead of Sabalenka, 14/5 and Coco Gauff 15/4.
Odds are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
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