Sinner Survives Hard Opening Match at China Open

Defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the last 16 of the China Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 first-round victory over Chilean Nicolas Jarry on Thursday. He needed an hour and 55 minutes to edge past the world number 28 and extended his win streak to 12 after titles at Cincinnati and the US Open.

Sinner was made to work hard against the big-serving Jarry. But once he hit his stride, he made it to win his first action after a period of break time following his dominant run to the trophy in New York. Up next, the Italian will face either Roman Safiullin or Stan Wawrinka.

A Slow But Sure Start

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Despite starting the contest with a love game, the Italian was broken in the seventh to let Jarry take the surprise lead. However, the world number one Sinner responded to take the encounter the distance despite facing four aces for his opponent, he continued his momentum in the decider and finally won the match.

With this win, Sinner continued to hold a positive record. The Australian Open and US Open champion had not lost an opening round match this year and still dominated hard-court tennis in 2024. Now, he tied for head-to-head with Jarry after their only previous match on the grass back in 2019.

A Big Schedule Decision for The World No. 1

Sinner has decided to play only four events during the final stretch of the 2024 season. He dropped one big tournament from his calendar leaving only the Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters, and ATP Finals. Sinner has confirmed he will not return to Austria to defend his Vienna Open title. Outside the ATP Tour schedule, he will also represent Italy at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

Dropping 500 points from his title in Vienna could have an impact on Sinner’s race to finish the 2024 season as the No. 1. Sinner – who has been top of the rankings since June – has 11,180 points in the official rankings. He had a huge lead over the number two Alexander Zverev (4,305 points), but Sinner has the most points to defend before closing to seasons.

Sinner will have a possibility to drop 2,180 points and put him on 9,000 points if things are not going well for him. This drastic drop might give a good advantage for the world number three Carlos Alcaraz – if things are going well for him also. Alcaraz was set to compete in the same tournament as Sinner. The good news for the Spaniard is that a maximum of 4000 points are up for grabs in those four tournaments.

However, Alcaraz will need to pull off an incredible run at the same tournament he had with Sinner. And with Sinner’s decision to drop the Vienna Open from his calendar, the race for the year-end No.1 ranking is likely to only be settled at the ATP Finals.

Sinner and his Decision Might Impact the Battle

Jannik recently had different thoughts about the tennis calendar. He stated that players could pick and choose most of the tournaments they attend to avoid fatigue. That’s why he has been careful in his own scheduling in recent weeks. Sinner was absent from the Laver Cup and the Davis Cup group stage after his US Open triumph. Sinner also has chosen to play only at four tournaments, starting with the China Open.

He had a different point of view than other high-ranking players like Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Jack Draper who expressed concerns about the number of compulsory tournaments and the toll the long season takes on the body. Despite having a decision that could impact his battle for year-end No.1 ranking, Sinner might have his mathematical calculations.

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Article originally written by Tania Rompas