The two top seeds at the Beijing Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, are tipped to meet again for the first time since June.
While Carlos Alcaraz has spent his week hauling Team Europe to their fifth Laver Cup title from the depths of despair, Jannik Sinner has been continuing his post US-Open recovery.
A stunning Team Europe comeback on the three and final day saw Alcaraz contribute six out of nine points to help his side recover from a four-point deficit.
Having beaten both Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton without dropping a set, his exploits in the doubles meant the Spaniard contributed the most individual points in Laver Cup history with eight.
However, with his US Open run coming to a shocking end in the second-round, his biggest rival Sinner went on to clinch the title, also against Fritz.
Carlos Alcaraz wants historic rival to form with Jannik Sinner
Heading into Beijing, world number two Alexander Zverev’s withdrawal means Alcaraz joins Sinner as one of the two top seeds.
With the hopes of a meeting in the final, Alcaraz reflected on this past year of tennis where he and the Italian have scooped up all four Grand Slam titles.
Quizzed on what might become another one of tennis’ great rivalries, Alcaraz said: “Well a lot of people talk about it and I hear it. I’m not going to lie, I hope so.
“I hope that our rivalry is going to be or almost be like the Big Three had during their whole careers,” the Spaniard said, hoping to emulate the sport’s most recent three-way battle.
“This is the first year that we shared all the Grand Slams. Hopefully it’s going to keep going like that, sharing great moments, fighting for the great tournaments, the Grand Slams, Masters 1000. So let’s see how it’s going to be in the future, the next few years, if we are going to stay like that at this level. I think we are going to build or create a relationship off the court as well.
“So hopefully I have him here on the tour for a long time because he pushes me to be a better player every day. He pushes me to practice at 100% just to try to beat him in the next matches. It’s great and hopefully we’ll have that rivalry that the Big Three had in their careers.”
What is Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head record like on the ATP Tour?
Having played each other nine times already in their career, Alcaraz’s two recent victories have nudged him ahead to lead 5-4, including his most recent win at the French Open.
Their last five matches have all come at the semi-final stage, with only one ever meeting in a tour final, which Sinner won in Umag, Croatia.
While Sinner has won two hard-court majors to Alcaraz’s one, the Spaniard has dominated their battles on that surface winning four out of six.
Despite a strong field in Beijing, if the pair play anywhere close to the level they’ve been showing off recently, Sinner will have the chance to level things up.
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