Jannik Sinner has advanced to his third consecutive China Open final on Tuesday, set to compete against young talent Learner Tien, while defending women’s champion Coco Gauff continues her impressive run.
Ranked second globally, Sinner defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, moving just one win away from his second Beijing title.
The Italian is the clear favorite in Wednesday’s final against unseeded 19-year-old American Tien, who overcame an injured Daniil Medvedev.
The semi-final reached a third set where the 29-year-old Russian fell behind 0-4 and struggled to move, eventually retiring in pain and frustration.
Medvedev, known for his spirited demeanor and dealing with leg issues, received a code violation for lack of effort in the third set’s second game.
His reaction was one of anger.
“Why is every referee trying to intimidate me?” Medvedev questioned the chair umpire.
“I’m giving my best effort,” he insisted.
“I’m not going to continue,” he concluded.
“Thanks a lot, eh?” Medvedev retorted as he exited the court.
At 19 years and nine months, Tien is the second-youngest male finalist in Beijing, following Rafael Nadal.
He faces a formidable challenge against Sinner, whose only defeat on Beijing’s center Diamond Court was to rival Carlos Alcaraz, last year’s champion in a thrilling three-set match.
“This is a very special place for me. The court has always been fantastic,” said Sinner, who recently lost to Alcaraz in the US Open final.
“It’s positive to find myself here, playing the tournament’s last match,” he added.
Alcaraz is not defending his title in Beijing and won the Japan Open in Tokyo on Tuesday.
‘Really aggressive’
In the women’s competition, Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 and will face Germany’s 66th-ranked Eva Lys in the quarter-finals.
“It was a tough match,” said Gauff, the American second seed. “I had chances to close it out in the first but I’m pleased with my fight. She was very aggressive.”
Both players expressed frustration in a mostly empty stadium where one half was in shade and the other in bright sunlight.
A heated exchange occurred during a changeover in the second set when Switzerland’s 15th seed Bencic commented, “Your team is chatting. I’m too old for these mind games, okay?”
“You’re the one playing mind games,” Gauff replied.
The 21-year-old Gauff stayed focused to win the tiebreak after Tokyo Olympic champion Bencic double-faulted on set point and showed her frustration by throwing her racquet.
Gauff, ranked third in the world, broke early in the third set and maintained her momentum to secure the win as a fatigued Bencic faltered.
With her victory in the last 16, Gauff qualified for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia this November.
“Happy to qualify again. Looking forward to returning to Riyadh and glad I did it here,” Gauff said during an on-court interview.
Gauff will face Lys, who reached her first WTA 1000 quarter-final by beating McCartney Kessler of the USA 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
“I’m trying to hold back my tears,” Lys said. “I’ve faced some really tough matches. I don’t know where I found the strength, but I kept going and making my first quarter-final means so much to me.”
