Sinner's Unbroken Grip Tightens in Beijing
Jannik Sinner stared down Alex de Minaur's fierce push in the China Open semifinals, his forehand precision turning a balanced battle into a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 statement of dominance that edges him closer to reclaiming his stride.
In the golden haze of Beijing's autumn evening, the hard courts of the China Open hummed with tension as Jannik Sinner faced Alex de Minaur for the eleventh time. The Italian's baseline mastery met the Australian's tireless retrieval in a semifinal that stretched two hours and twenty minutes, ending 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Sinner's poise, forged through a season of relentless finals, held firm against an opponent who has never breached his record since their 2019 encounter at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
First set asserts baseline command
Sinner opened with deliberate strokes, his inside-out forehands pulling de Minaur wide on the slower surface, opening the court for crosscourt backhands that dictated the rally's tempo. The Australian's speed kept him in points, but Sinner's precision yielded an early break, his serve varying placement to neutralize deep returns. Under the stadium lights, the crowd's low rumble built as the top seed closed the set, his movement fluid and unhurried, setting a rhythm that echoed his ninth consecutive hard-court final.
This control stemmed from a year where pressure mounts with every triumph—finals in seven of eight events, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon—yet Sinner channeled it into focus. De Minaur, leading the tour with 34 hard-court wins, countered with underspin to slow exchanges, but the Italian's redirection turned defense into opportunity. The set's end left the air thick with anticipation, Sinner's eyes already scanning ahead.
“I felt like the level was very high,” Sinner said. “Many great rallies, many great chances for both. I had my chances in the second set and couldn’t use them but he had his chances and it was quite an even match. In the third set I tried to raise my level. I broke him very early, which gave me confidence to then serve better. I am very happy about today. It was a different match than usual against him, it was a very even match.”
Showing Beijing who's BOSS @janniksin defeats De Minaur to reach a third consecutive @ChinaOpen final.#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/WTg3kvPYdg
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2025
Second set tests mental edges
As the match pivoted, Sinner's first-serve accuracy wavered, inviting de Minaur to step forward with flat backhands down the line that pinned him deep. The Australian's aggression surged, his unforced errors dropping to eight against Sinner's twenty, breaking to level the score and stirring the Beijing crowd into fervent cheers. On this court where balls linger in the air, de Minaur's lateral quickness turned one–two patterns into extended battles, exposing the Italian's strain from a season shadowed by his US Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
That defeat had cost Sinner the No. 1 ranking, leaving him 2,590 points behind the 22-year-old in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin for year-end honors, with Alcaraz contesting Tokyo's final that day. De Minaur's resilience boosted his own path, elevating him to seventh in the Nitto ATP Finals race on 3,345 points, 640 clear of Felix Auger-Aliassime in tenth, especially with Jack Draper sidelined by injury. Sinner absorbed the setback during the changeover, his composure a quiet counter to the rising doubt, the court's bounce mirroring his internal recalibration.
Third set surges to dominance
Sinner struck decisively in the decider, breaking at love with an inside-in forehand that grazed the line, then held with sharper angles despite landing just 52 percent of first serves. His forehand reached a 9.8 shot quality, converting 30 of 33 attempts to overwhelm de Minaur's retrieval, the slow surface now amplifying his topspin loops. The Australian faded under the pressure, his valiant stand yielding no cracks in Sinner's armor, as the top seed's baseline aggression reclaimed the narrative.
“He was serving great at times with great pace and precision,” Sinner reflected later. “He was returning very well. I was serving very well today, but he neutralised my serve very well. He was moving very fast and this court is quite slow at times, so he arrives at more balls. I tried to stay concentrated and not lose mental energy. It was a very difficult match today, so I am very happy.” This win marks the 24-year-old's 30th tour-level final, placing him alongside Novak Djokovic as the second to reach three straight in Beijing—after his 2023 victory and 2024 defeat to Alcaraz. Facing Learner Tien in Wednesday's ATP 500 title clash, Sinner eyes his 21st crown, the Beijing lights fading on a performance that sharpens his pursuit of season-long supremacy, with Turin and beyond calling.
