Carlos Alcaraz shares what he thought during the deciding-set tie-break of his China Open final vs Jannik Sinner

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Carlos Alcaraz once again got the better of new rival Jannik Sinner as he beat the world number one to win the China Open.

Alcaraz made it through an ‘unusual’ semi-final versus Daniil Medvedev to set up the final clash with Sinner, who had beaten home favourite Yunchaokete Bu to make the last two.

Sinner expected a tactical match with Alcaraz, with the duo playing out a hugely entertaining battle at the China Open.

And it was the Spaniard who narrowly came out on top, with the second seed beating the top seed 6-7(6-8), 6-4, 7-6(7-3).

Alcaraz has now extended his head-to-head record over Sinner to 6-4, and has won all three of their meetings this season.

What Carlos Alcaraz thought in China Open final tie-break vs Jannik Sinner

After losing a break lead in sets one and three, the Spanish star went on to win seven successive points from 0-3 down in the deciding-set tie-break to emerge victorious.

As per the ATP Tour website, he has now shared what was going through his mind during that nail-biting tie-break, saying: “I never lost hope… honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side.

“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.”

Carlos Alcaraz dominates Jannik Sinner in 2024

This season has been dominated by both Sinner and Alcaraz, with the pair each winning two Grand Slam titles.

Slightly more success elsewhere has, however, gone to the Italian, who is world number one and leads the Spaniard in the race for ATP Year-End No. 1.

Sinner has a stunning six titles to his name in 2024 alone, with Alcaraz not far behind him on four after his latest success.

But the Spanish star can certainly boast the bragging rights when it comes to their encounters, having also beaten Sinner at Indian Wells and the French Open.

Alcaraz produced a fantastic comeback in Beijing to maintain his perfect record against Sinner this season, with the pair’s three-hour, 21-minute match the longest in China Open history.