Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden China Open title and set a new record in the process.
The 21-year-old prevailed in an epic encounter against friend and rival Jannik Sinner to win his fourth title of the season.
In a match that lasted over three hours, Carlos Alcaraz was two points away from defeat, but he clawed his way back before producing a sensational final set tiebreak.
After suffering a dip in form following a crushing Olympic finals defeat to Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz is well and truly back to his scintillating best.
Which record did Carlos Alcaraz break after winning the China Open?
By winning the China Open, Alcaraz became the first player in history to win an ATP 500 title on three different surfaces.
The 10th instalment of the Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry was a classic as they left it all the court for the right to be called China Open champion.
Alcaraz had the advantage for the majority of set one, but failed to serve for the set and eventually lost it on a tiebreak.
The Spaniard would not be denied as he held serve in a long and nervy eighth game of the fourth set to level proceedings at 4-4.
Alcaraz broke serve to and served out set to two to level the score, and what followed was a titanic final set battle, which Alcaraz rallied from 0-3 in the tiebreak to claim a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) win.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts to his China Open victory over Jannik Sinner
Alcaraz turned to his team and yelled with delight and after launching a mighty forehand that Sinner was unable to return on championship point.
Following his shock defeats at the Cincinnati Open and US Open, Alcaraz said he had taken a step back mentally.
But his latest victory over Sinner proves he has rediscovered this mental fortitude as he became the youngest player since Juan martin del Potro in 2009 to defeat the World number one in an ATP Tour final.
“I never lost hope… Honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side,” Alcaraz said about overturning the deficit against Sinner.
“I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close.’
“I played great points just to make 3-all and after that I just thought to go for it. If I lost it, at least I went for it. So that’s all I thought in that moment.”
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