By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, September 26, 2024
In his first match since winning the US Open, Jannik Sinner scored his 12th straight win with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chilean Nicolas Jarry.
Photo credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty
Jannik Sinner powered to his second Grand Slam title in New York this month and showed strong second effort in his Beijing return today.
World No. 1 Sinner streaked through seven of the last eight games launching his China Open defense with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chilean Nicolas Jarry.
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It was Sinner's 12th consecutive victory following title runs in Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows where he defeated Taylor Fritz in the US Open final.
A year ago, Sinner was world No. 7 when he arrived in Beijing for the China Open. Since then, Sinner has posted an impressive 76-7 record.
“In the first set, I was struggling to return his serve and he broke me,” Sinner told the media in Beijing. "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."
The 28th-ranked Jarry, who defeated Sinner in their lone prior meeting on the grass of s-Hertogenbosch back in 2019, broke for a 4-3 lead today. Jarry backed up the break at love and served out the set on his second set point.
As the match progressed, Sinner was reading the towering Chilean's serve better and belted some stinging stretched returns.
Sinner broke in Jarry's opening service game of both the second and third sets and never trailed in those sets.
The top-seeded Sinner converted four of eight break points in a one hour, 55-minute victory.
Sinner raised his 2024 record to 56-5.
The owner of six titles on the season, Sinner is bidding to join Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the third man to win multiple China Open championships.
The 23-year-old Sinner will face either three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka or Russia’s Roman Safiullin next.