Jannik Sinner made tennis history at the China Open by becoming the first player to secure four career tour-level victories over world No. 2, Carlos Alcaraz. Their closely contested rivalry, tied at 3-3 in head-to-head matchups, saw Sinner break the deadlock with a dominant 7-6(4), 6-1 victory.
This achievement places Sinner ahead of both Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who had three career wins over Alcaraz. Even Novak Djokovic, a tennis legend, has only beaten Alcaraz twice in four meetings.
Sinner attributed his success to his ability to perform well in critical moments and highlighted the respect he and Alcaraz share. He humbly downplayed the significance of the number of wins against his opponent, emphasizing the consistently high level of their matches.
Alcaraz acknowledged Sinner’s completeness as a player and the relentless pressure he applies. Their ongoing rivalry promises to deliver exciting and high-quality matches, shaping the future of professional tennis.
Alcaraz in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2023
Currently ranked no.2, Carlos has an overall 62-8 win-loss record in 2023. The Spaniard is currently playing in Shanghai where he beat the world no.73 Gregoire Barrere 6-2 7-5.
Carlos has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. The Spaniard was the runner-up in Rio de Janeiro (Rio Open) and in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open).
Carlos won 13 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 7 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 2 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2023
Currently the world no.4 (career-high), Sinner has achieved a composed 50-13 record in 2023. Sinner is competing in Shanghai where he managed to beat the world no.80 Marcos Giron 7-67 6-2.
Jannik Sinner will compete against the world no.29 Sebastian Baez in the 3rd round. They have never competed against each other so far on the main tour.
Sinner clinched 3 titles in 2023 in Montpellier, Toronto and Beijing. Jannik got to the final in Rotterdam (ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament) and in Miami (Miami Open).
Sinner won 10 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 5 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner will compete next in Antwerp (European Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of October.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played each other 8 times. Their head to head is 4-4. Previously, the last time they squared off, Jannik Sinner won 7-6(4) 6-1 in the semifinal in Beijing (China Open) on the 3rd of October 2023.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner |
| Embed from Getty Images |