World number one Jannik Sinner overcame a spirited challenge from Nicolas Jarry to launch the defense of his China Open title with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory on Thursday.
Sinner, fresh from his triumph at the US Open, faced a stern test from the 28th-ranked Chilean, who broke the Italian’s serve in the first set to take an early lead. However, Sinner regrouped in the second set, breaking Jarry’s serve twice to level the match.
The deciding set was all Sinner’s as he broke Jarry’s serve early and never looked back. The Italian’s powerful groundstrokes and relentless defense proved too much for Jarry, who struggled to find his rhythm.
“In the first set, I was struggling to return his serve and he broke me,” Sinner said. “I just tried to stay there mentally. The first round at any tournament is never easy and playing against him is very tough.”
“But I am happy about the performance and how I ended the match.”
Sinner’s victory sets up a second-round clash with either three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka or Russia’s Roman Safiullin. The Italian is aiming to become the first player to successfully defend the China Open title since Novak Djokovic in 2015.
Sinner’s main rivals in Beijing include four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz and the Russian duo of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. Djokovic is not competing in the tournament, which is being held alongside a WTA 1000 event.
