Sinner ignites Beijing with a defiant comeback
Facing a stubborn challenge under Beijing's glaring lights, Jannik Sinner channeled his inner steel to erase a late deficit, clinching a hard-fought quarterfinal win and priming for another Top 10 test.
In the humming intensity of Beijing's Diamond Court, where the hardcourt's bite sharpens every slide and skid, Jannik Sinner dismantled Fabian Marozsan's resistance with a surge that felt both inevitable and earned. The Italian's forehand, flat and ferocious, sliced inside-out to pin the Hungarian deep, racing to a 6-1 first set that showcased his baseline command on this medium-fast surface. As the evening shadows crept in, the crowd's murmurs built, sensing the shift when Marozsan began to counter with rising topspin, turning the duel into a grueling exchange of groundstrokes.
First set blaze exposes early edges
Sinner's opening dominance flowed from a crisp one–two rhythm: a flat serve kicking low off the Beijing hardcourt, followed by crosscourt forehands that forced Marozsan into hurried replies. The world No. 2, already locked into the Nitto ATP Finals and holding second in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, absorbed the Hungarian's early probes without flinching, his topspin backhand redirecting pace into down-the-line winners. Marozsan, the world No. 57 with a peak that Sinner respects, struggled to find rhythm, his underspin slices skidding short against the Italian's relentless returns.
Yet the set's brevity masked the tactical undercurrents, as Sinner varied depths to disrupt patterns, blending drop shots with deep crosscourts that echoed his 2023 title run here. The crowd, a blend of fervent locals and scattered expats, leaned forward, drawn by the Italian's quiet focus amid a season of seven semifinals in eight events. This early command set a tone of precision, but Beijing's unforgiving pace hinted at the storm brewing in the second.
“I feel like I started off very well in the first set and we both played very well in the second set,” said Sinner. “I had some big chances at 4-3 but couldn’t use them. He’s someone whose peak is very high, I knew that before the match. When he was serving for the set, he made a couple of unforced errors which helped me of course to come back and win in two.
“It’s psychological of course, too, but it’s also how you arrive at these moments. I tried to fight, had some tough service game holds from 0/30 a couple of times. I’m happy how I fought today.”
Second set storm tests unyielding resolve
The second frame thickened with tension as Marozsan dug in, his heavy groundstrokes pulling Sinner into longer rallies that tested the Italian's footwork on the court's true bounce. At 4-4, the Hungarian repelled four break points with gritty deep returns and a timely inside-in forehand, then pounced on a second serve to break for 5-4, his fist pump slicing through the arena's hum. Sinner, feeling the weight of his 20 tour-level titles and a flawless year, reset mentally, drawing on holds from 0/30 to steady his serve amid the rising pressure.
Marozsan's charge peaked as he served for the set, but unforced errors crept in—a double fault here, an errant backhand there—allowing Sinner to break back to love in the tenth game, his flat backhand crosscourt forcing the equalizer. The Italian carried that momentum, shortening points with inside-in forehands that disrupted the Hungarian's baseline power, turning defense into a decisive edge. As the score leveled at 5-5, the crowd's energy surged, mirroring Sinner's psychological pivot from vulnerability to command, his composure forged in the fire of missed chances earlier.
Winner winner, Sinner Sinner @janniksin brings up his 40th tour-level victory, defeating Marozsan 6-1 7-5 and returns to the Beijing final four.@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/wzXxFEFjCl
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 29, 2025
In the 12th game, Sinner struck again, breaking to love with a sequence of penetrating groundstrokes that overwhelmed Marozsan, sealing the 7-5 escape and his 40th tour-level victory of 2025. This win, a return to Beijing's final four for the third time, highlighted the Italian's rally tolerance, blending tactical tweaks like varied serve placement with the mental fortitude to navigate complacency's shadow. The Hungarian's resistance, fierce but fleeting, underscored the upsets dotting the tour, yet Sinner's adaptability on hard courts—where 70 percent of his deep runs unfold—proved unbreakable.
Semifinal clash sharpens season's edge
Ahead looms Alex de Minaur, the third seed who advanced via retirement when Jakub Mensik trailed 1-4 in the first set due to injury, boosting the Australian to seventh in the Live Race to Turin and above Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti, meanwhile, retired trailing Learner Tien 4-6, 6-3, 3-0 with a left thigh issue, handing the #NextGenATP star a quarterfinal walkover. Sinner enters Tuesday's showdown with a perfect 10-0 ATP Head2Head over de Minaur, his power often overwhelming the speedster's slice backhands and retrieval on surfaces like Beijing's.
This matchup amplifies the stakes, pitting Sinner's aggressive patterns against de Minaur's rhythm-breakers, potentially forcing more inside-in forehands under duress. For the Italian, already a Turin lock, the clash encapsulates a season's psychological arc: sustaining peak amid scrutiny, from early triumphs to this late push. As @janniksin celebrates via @chinaopen under #2025ChinaOpen, his path forward pulses with the court's raw tempo, a champion's gaze fixed on reclaiming the throne and beyond.
