At the China Open, Jannik Sinner faced a formidable challenge in the second round against Terence Altmaier, a qualifier from France. Coming off an impressive performance in their previous encounter during the Cincinnati semi-finals, where Sinner won decisively, the Italian found himself pushed to his limits this time, securing his quarterfinal berth in a hard-fought match that lasted two hours and 21 minutes. Sinner ultimately triumphed with a final score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-0, closing things out emphatically with a dominant third set.
Sinner reflected on the match, noting, “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.” Despite losing the second set after breaking Altmaier’s serve three times, Sinner regained his composure and elevated his game, overcoming the obstacles posed by the left-handed Altmaier. The Frenchman, who frequently troubled Sinner with his strategic depth and precision, struggled physically in the final set, which allowed Sinner to capitalize and advance.
In the earlier rounds, Sinner had demonstrated resilience after having not played since the US Open final, where he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz and subsequently lost his world No. 1 ranking. Starting the tournament as the top seed, he dispatched Croatia’s Marin Cilic in his first match, showing signs of a quick recovery and determination to reclaim his former stature.
Ranked second in the Race to Turin, Sinner is significantly trailing Alcaraz and will be looking to narrow that gap further. He is anticipated to have a favorable matchup against world No. 57, Fabian Marozsan, who recently upset Alexandre Muller in his own second-round match.
Meanwhile, the third seed Alex de Minaur continues his pursuit of a spot in the ATP Finals, where he currently sits eighth in the Race. In a tightly contested second-round encounter, the Australian managed to edge out Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) over two hours and ten minutes. With many competitors hot on his heels, de Minaur’s next challenge will be against the Czech Republic’s seventh seed, Jakub Mensik, who advanced past Frenchman Arthur Cazaux with a scoreline of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Both players are keenly aware of the pressure that lies ahead as the tournament progresses, with Sinner and de Minaur each aiming to solidify their chances for the prestigious season-ending tournament.
