Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner’s winning run to take the China Open title in Beijing after another pulsating encounter between the two young stars.
Sinner went into the final on a 15-match winning streak after lifting his second grand slam trophy of the season at the US Open, but it was Alcaraz who came out on top 6-7 (6) 6-4 7-6 (3) after three hours and 21 minutes.
The Spaniard now has a 6-4 lead over his big rival in their head-to-head after thumping 55 winners and playing a stunning final tie-break.
“It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz. “Jannik showed once again that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me, the level that he’s playing is unbelievable.
“I had my chances in the first set, didn’t make it. But in general I’m proud of myself with the way that I dealt with the match, the way that I managed everything.
“I’m really happy that in the third set. Even though he broke my serve again and it was really close, I gave myself the chance to keep going, playing aggressively and I’m really happy that I made it.”
Alcaraz has found his mojo again over the last couple of weeks following a shock second-round loss at the US Open and he was electric at the start of the contest.
He opened up a 5-2 lead in the opening set, but Sinner responded by breaking Alcaraz when he served for it and the world number one then saved three set points before taking the tie-break.
It was another example of the mental toughness Sinner has shown this season, but it was Alcaraz who dug in in the second set, saving two break points in a long eighth game before breaking his opponent and levelling the match.
The momentum was now back with the 21-year-old, who had won both his previous meetings against his rival this season, and he piled on more pressure in the early stages of the deciding set.
After breaking Sinner to lead 2-1, Alcaraz had two more chances in the fifth game but could not take them and, in a repeat of the opener, back came the top seed.
It was fitting the contest came down to a deciding tie-break and Sinner looked to be in the ascendancy when he took a 3-0 lead, but Alcaraz responded in stunning fashion with seven points in a row.
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