China Open Men’s Final: Preview

The China Open has reached its thrilling conclusion, and the men’s final promises to be an epic showdown. On Wednesday, October 2, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will battle for the ultimate prize. Their recent encounters have been nothing short of gripping, and this final sets the stage perfectly for the upcoming Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner

Alcaraz has been dominant throughout the tournament, giving his opponents little chance to challenge him. In all four of his matches, he has yet to drop a set. On Tuesday, expectations were high for his clash with Daniil Medvedev, with both players in excellent form. However, the 21-year-old Spaniard delivered a world-class performance, dismantling Medvedev 7-5, 6-3 to secure his place in the final. Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 6-2, having won six of their last seven encounters. This commanding display sent a clear message to his competitors.

Alcaraz, who celebrated his 200th ATP career win on Sunday, has an impressive 7-1 record against players ranked in the top 5 this season—the most wins of any player, followed closely by Sinner with six. Among Alcaraz’s victories, three have come against Medvedev, two against Sinner, one against Novak Djokovic, and one against Alexander Zverev. His only loss to a top 5 player this season came against Djokovic at the Paris Olympics. It has been a season to remember for Alcaraz, who has won two Grand Slam titles—at the French Open and Wimbledon—and reached five ATP finals. In his young career, he has already played in 21 ATP finals. After an early exit at the US Open, Alcaraz has bounced back stronger than ever, proving himself to be a fierce competitor and difficult to beat.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner is in red-hot form, currently riding a 15-match winning streak, making him equally hard to stop. His streak includes titles at the US Open and the Cincinnati Open. To reach the final, Sinner defeated home favorite Yunchaokete Bu 6-3, 7-6, showing great mental resilience. Despite being cleared to compete after testing positive for doping—an incident that remains under appeal by WADA—Sinner has stayed focused, delivering outstanding performances. The 23-year-old world No. 1 is set to face Alcaraz, a player he has met nine times before, with a record of four wins and five losses. This year, they have faced off twice, most recently in the French Open semifinals.

In that French Open encounter, Alcaraz came from a set down to win a marathon five-set match. They also met in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open, where Sinner’s 16-match winning streak, which included an Australian Open title, was snapped by Alcaraz, who again came from a set down to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. There is a lot at stake in this final, with Sinner seeking revenge. Last year, they met in the China Open semifinals, where Sinner won 7-6, 6-1, going on to claim the title. Since then, both players have improved and are playing magnificent tennis, setting up a much-anticipated showdown for fans.

Prediction: Sinner to win.