Alcaraz defeats Siner in three sets and wins the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing after a legendary match: 6-7; 6-4; 7-6. Yannick: “The work never ends.”

The victory of Alcaraz, the great resistance to sin

(Marco Calabresi) Three hours and 20 minutes of tennis to the nth level, excellent, epic. In the end, after three sets of crushing blows, he took the title in Beijing Carlos AlcarazHe is fourth this season after Indian Wells, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Yannick Sinerinstead of, Loses the first final Of the seven who played in this 2024 In total, the sixth match this season and the third against Carlitos. Could we have asked him anything else at this moment? Probably not, if you consider that just four days ago, in the middle of a tournament, he found himself walking onto the court with his sword stuck in his opponent’s back. Wada resumed when it seemed that the nightmare of exclusion was behind us. The defeat on the court is still there, the start with the handbrake (5-2 down in the first set), and the tremendous ability to come back in difficult moments is still there. But it stays there too A frightening performance from Alcaraz: Someone who came out a month ago from the US Open in the second round against Van de Zandschulp and was able to resume playing better than before.

At least looking at the first seven games of the first set, it looks like it might be a one-and-done game One-way end. Three break points for Alcaraz in the second game, all earned on a forehand, a devastating blow when the Spaniard is on his day. Everything was called off, but the break was only delayed by one serve: neither was stellar on first serve, but it was pure spectacle from the baseline. The power was unleashed with incredible naturalness, as Alcaraz held serve at 5-2 with a brilliant backhand pass into Sinner’s backhand attack that would have sealed the point for anyone. One step away from turning the page and thinking about the second group, Janek got into the game Taking it to stratospheric levels. He hit a forehand winner to get the break back (5-4), then canceled out the first set point at 5-6 to win the tiebreak. A forehand gave Alcaraz the point to make it 4-3, which was canceled out by a foul on the next point. Then two points decided by a backhand pass: Sinner canceled out the first with an ace and the second with a brilliant forehand. Thus, after two set points for Alcaraz, Siner got one thanks to a forehand error, which was repeated with another backhand winner. An unimaginable conclusion Until a few minutes ago.

The first six games of the second set were without break pointsdespite the wonderful back pass that brought the advantage to Blue. Another backhand winner, this time a winner, gave Alcaraz the first two break points of the set in the seventh game, both of which were ruled out. Sinner thus also earned break points in the endless eighth game, which he would have served in the match if he had won it. After minutes of direct hits, Alcaraz held serve and took the lead after initially landing a powerful shot against Yannick, then capitalizing on a cross-court forehand error. The break was confirmed at zero and the referee was deferred for the third set.

First to go was Alcaraz, who earned two break points in the third game. First, Sinner canceled out a great short ball; In the second, Carlos hit a five-metre return, but the Murcian completed the third with a Law stone (36 winners of this shot out of 55 total). At 1-3, Carlos had two break points that could have ended the match: Sinner kept his feet, and when the score was 4-3 to the Spaniard, he earned break points. Three together, the second becoming a reality with Alcaraz hitting a forehand winner after the stripe provided him with the assist to seal the point. At 5-5, Yannick received a break point by missing a backhand volley, but managed to get back up for the umpteenth time.

A final like this can only end when… Break the tie: The wrong start 3-0, however Alcaraz He rejected the idea of ​​defeat and scored Seven points in a row. Seven as Carlos wins against Yannick in 11 matches (including the 2019 Challenger Alicante when they were kids), in a challenge that will be eternal. However, there are probably 100 other games like this already Shanghaiwhere Yannick will immediately know how to proceed, thanks to that No. 1 Which will remain by his name for a long time to come.