December 22, 2024
Jannik Sinner on Saturday claimed his second consecutive comeback win at this year’s edition of the ATP 500 in Beijing.
The 23-year-old Italian and World no.1 Sinner moved past Roman Safiullin 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to maintain his record of having reached at least the quarter-finals at every tour-level event he has played in 2024.
“I’m very happy,” Sinner said while on court interview after his victory.
“I didn’t start my best. Sometimes it can happen. But I’m very excited to be in the next round playing at least one more time in this beautiful tournament. Thanks everyone for coming. The support has been amazing. It means so much.”
“If I want to win this tournament, I need to raise my level. This is also our goal. I think I play after tomorrow. So I have a rest day. I’ll try to get into my rhythm. If I want to win my next round, I have to raise my level. But also today was a high level match. He’s an incredible player. We’ve always had great battles. Let’s see what’s coming.”
Sinner was once again in trouble in the Chinese city after the free-hitting Safiullin broke service twice en route to winning the opening set, even after he rallied from a set down to defeat Nicolas Jarry in the previous round. However, the number one seed answered forcefully to complete a two-hour, twenty-two-minute victory on the Capital Group Diamond Court.
Sinner now shares the record for most victories this season with Alexander Zverev after winning 57 tour-level matches in 2024. The Italian’s next opponent in Beijing will be Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the previous round.
The triumph on Saturday was only one more tiny step toward Sinner’s goal of being the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. With a lead of 2,985 points over Zverev in second place, he is the clear leader of the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
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