Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in the latest installment of the China Open's best tennis match

And then it was 6:4.

In a match that showcased the thrill of their rivalry at the top of men's tennis, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win the China Open in Beijing. The world No. 1 trailed 2-5 in the first set and 4-6 in the tiebreak to force a first-set win. In the decisive tiebreak he led 3-0. But Alcaraz won seven points in a row from there, including two that reached the height of nonsense, securing an overall win he deserved.

“He could win in two games, I could win in two games, he could win in three games, I could win in three games,” Alcaraz told Tennis TV on court after the match.

Since his US Open third-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz has been playing his best tennis of 2024 and was upset at losing the first set. He had more of a lead. He did what he had done in all the tournaments in Beijing, including the Davis Cup: he flew to the net to bat away volleys, threw his forehand into the corners of the court and fired off passing shots. He took a 0-15 lead in all six of Sinner's service games and scored five break points, including three in the second game of the set, but only converted one.

While Alcaraz was able to play his best tennis more freely, Sinner found his best when he needed it most. He saved all three break points. Then, trailing 5-6 in the first set tiebreak, he hit Alcaraz's first serve into the open court, after which the Spaniard could only fight. Two cheap points later, a set that Alcaraz should have won was out of his reach.

“Mentally he’s a beast,” Alcaraz said of Sinner on the pitch.

The pattern continued in the second set, with Alcaraz creating chances only for them to be missed or snatched away by Sinner.

That meant that when the Spaniard actually broke in the ninth game of the second set after saving two break points in the eighth game, a moment that would normally feel like a change in momentum felt more like a fulfillment of what had come before had happened. In winning the set 6-4, Alcaraz scored 18 winners with 14 unforced errors, while Sinner had an even score of 10-10.

Alcaraz took the lead with a break in the third game of the third set and then had Sinner on the ropes at 15:40 with a chance to take a 4-1 lead. Sinner found a way out again. And after saving the two games, Alcaraz did the thing he most wanted to eliminate from his game – and has largely accomplished it in the time since his US Open loss. He played his worst tennis, at the worst possible time. Three errors when the score was 4:3 gave Sinner a break.

It was a brief lull in a match that was otherwise building to a crescendo. In an increasingly familiar sight, Sinner and Alcaraz forced each other to even greater heights. They don't just drop balls that other players can't reach. They run down balls that they couldn't reach either, until the other one forces them to.

Carlos Alcaraz was largely the dominant force against Jannik Sinner in Beijing, but the Italian found crucial moments. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

With the score at 0-3 in the tiebreak and given Sinner's 18-1 record in 19 tiebreaks, it looked as if the Italian's better feel for the important points would make the difference. Instead, Alcaraz saved his decisive moments for the most important of all.

“I thought: OK, I have to give it my all. “Give me the opportunity to be close,” Alcaraz said in court.

“If I lose, at least I tried.”

First he pulled Sinner forward and fended off a simple volley to make it 3-1. Then, after Sinner upended a jagged return on the second serve with a lob, Alcaraz did it again, only to find himself stretching for a disguised push down the line. Nevertheless, he shot the ball away to make it 3-2.

Two more routine points later he fended off an inside-out forehand to make it 5-3, and Sinner finally made a mistake on a key point, putting Alcaraz ahead 6-3. This time he didn't miss the lead after three hours and 20 minutes.

Where this game plays into the overall fabric of their rivalry is difficult to see. While Sinner was defeated by world number 69 Roman Safiullin on Saturday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it would appeal the verdict in the doping case against the world number 1. An independent tribunal convened by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concluded that he was not guilty of fault or negligence in two positive tests for a banned anabolic steroid, but WADA is calling for a ban of between one and two years and some blame on Sinner.

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Sinner, who won the Cincinnati Open just two days before the ITIA released its first verdict, reiterated at press conferences in Beijing that he felt confident he had “done nothing wrong” after admitting at the US Open that those close to him could sense a change in his behavior on the pitch. He didn't seem particularly affected on Wednesday, even though Alcaraz played the better tennis more often and now leads the head-to-head ATP Tour with two wins.

In the broader context of men's tennis, it plays partly the same role as it has since the fast-paced quarterfinals of the US Open in 2022. Sinner and Alcaraz are each other's biggest problem. What has changed in recent years is that they are now undeniably everyone else's biggest problem, including Novak Djokovic. They split the four majors in 2024 and Alcaraz has returned to No. 2 in the world behind Sinner with his run in Beijing after Alexander Zverev withdrew from the tournament.

Jannik Sinner's position as world number 1 is firmly established for the rest of 2024. (Fred Lee/Getty Images)

Sinner entered the final with a 59-5 record for 2024 and a 39-2 record on hard courts; Alcaraz was 47-9 on the year. But in the mini-battle for 2024 he is ahead 3-0.

They are the benchmark for men's tennis and although the question of how long is up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the number to look at most closely is 6-4, Alcaraz.

After ten games, things only get better from here.

“It wasn't the loser you felt for.” It was the rest of the field'

Analysis by tennis writer Charlie Eccleshare

Watching this game, it wasn't the loser that you cared about – it was the rest of the men's field that must have been wondering how on earth they could get close to these two. Perhaps only WADA intervention could help.

Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the year's four Grand Slams equally, and this thrilling final showed just how far ahead of everyone else they are. Both players will gain a great deal of confidence from this (not that they need it). Sinner didn't win but can be proud to be part of such a rivalry.

Losing three times in a row to his great rival will be painful, especially as he was just two points away from victory here, but there is so little between the two and Sinner remains on track to become world No.1 by the end of the year .

The way the two are raising each other's standards, the way the Big Three used to do, is great news for them and the sport – and terrible news for any other player who has to compete against them.

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(Top photo: Fred Lee / Getty Images)