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Carlos Alcaraz dissected his latest defeat to arch-rival Jannik Sinner at the 2023 China Open.
Top seed Alcaraz crashed out of the ATP 500 event in Beijing with a semifinal loss to Sinner on Tuesday, October 3. The Spaniard was unable to take a single set off the Italian. While their opener was competitive, concluding in the Italian’s favor following a tiebreak, their second set was anything but, with Sinner allowing Alcaraz just one service game hold.
Sinner sealed the deal with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 scoreline after one hour and 55 minutes of play.
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After the match, Alcaraz reflected on his destruction by his arch-rival. The World No. 2 let go a break lead twice in the opening set, as well as five break point opportunities in the second. He admitted that he did not take advantage of the opportunities presented to him, which led to his undoing against a player like Sinner.
“Against players like Jannik, if you don't take advantage of those opportunities, it's harder to win or stay ahead on the scoreboard, that's something I have to learn about,” he said as per puntodebreak.com.
The two-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged the Italian’s form and said that he was forced to change his game since he was unable to execute his usual tactics.
“Obviously he played a great level of tennis, it forced me to change my game a little bit. I couldn't do what I always did, I tried to play deeper, but I couldn't,” he said. “This is another thing I'll have to learn if I want to beat Jannik.”
Alcaraz added that his complaining about the challenge thrown at him was another reason for the downfall.
“In the second set I was mentally out, I was complaining too much, something that really makes it difficult for you to play at your best level, that's what it means to be angry with yourself. This is what happened,” he said.
"He pushes you to the limit with every shot" – Carlos Alcaraz on Jannik Sinner after China Open loss
Carlos Alcaraz trails Jannik Sinner in their tour-level head-to-head, thanks to his China Open defeat. The two have now locked horns seven times on tour, with the Italian emerging as the winner on four occasions. It is worth noting that no other player has managed to outclass the Spaniard more than thrice on tour so far.
Alcaraz revealed how difficult it is to beat his arch-rival, who will assume a new career-high position of World No. 4 following his success at the tournament.
“He is a very complete player, he did almost everything well, he pushes you to the limit with every shot. You have to hit every ball perfectly if you want to be alive at the point. Even if you think you hit the ball very well, very well, he can even return it harder than yours. This is something he does really well, very well,” Alcaraz said.
“You have to find a way to beat him or be dangerous for his tennis. It is complicated, that is why he is one of the best in the world,” he added.
The China Open marks Jannik Sinner’s fifth final of the season, and a third against Daniil Medvedev, following their meetings at the 2023 Miami Open and ATP Rotterdam.
Sinner hasn’t yet won a single match against the Russian and holds a disappointing 0-6 losing record. The Canadian Open champion will hope to turn the corner this time around as he vies for his third title this season.
