Jannik Sinner digs deep in Beijing to continue year-end No 1 pursuit
Jannik Sinner overcame a stern test from French qualifier Terence Atmane Saturday to book his place in the quarterfinals of the China Open tournament with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 victory.
The World No. 2 had to work harder than the last time he faced Atmane in Cincinnati last month — a semifinal match where the Italian had cruised through comfortably.
In Beijing, Sinner — the top seed — was dragged into a physical contest that stretched over two hours and 22 minutes before he found his stride in a dominant deciding set.
After edging the opener, Sinner twice went ahead by a break in the second set; however, he failed to close it out. Atmane’s depth and left-handed angles unsettled the 23-year-old and the Frenchman capitalized on three service breaks to level the match.
But, as has been the case in recent times, Sinner regrouped in emphatic fashion, forcing Atmane to fade away physically, and seal his 13th hard court quarterfinal appearance on the trot.
“The game style he plays is quite unique and he is a lefty and we don’t have so many. He is a great, great player and has improved a lot again since Cincinnati,” Sinner said. “Today he struggled a little bit in the third set with some cramp but it was a tough, tricky second-round match. I was twice up with a break in the second set and I couldn’t use it, but this is the sport and this happens. Maybe the concentration went down a little bit at times and some nerves, but I am very happy to be through to the next round.”
Sinner — a former Beijing champion — had opened his campaign with a win over Croatia’s Marin Cilic in his first match since finishing runner-up to arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 US Open final.
That defeat saw him surrender the World No. 1 spot to Alcaraz, who is competing in Tokyo this week. Sinner now trails Alcaraz by 2,590 points as the duo continue their battle for the year-end No. 1 spot.
The Italian, who has won his past 61 matches on hard courts against players ranked outside the top 10, will next face World No. 57 Fabian Marozsan, who beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 7-6.
