Sinner launches China Open title defence

US Open champion tames Chilean Nicolas Jarry in opening clash

BEIJING:

World number one Jannik Sinner fought back to launch the defence of his China Open title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over 28th-ranked Chilean Nicolas Jarry on Thursday.

The US Open champion next faces veteran three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who is a wildcard entry in Beijing, or Russia's Roman Safiullin.

The 23-year-old Sinner arrived in the Chinese capital fresh from winning in New York for his second major title, having triumphed at the Australian Open at the start of the year.

With victory also at the Cincinnati Masters before the US Open, Sinner faced Jarry in red-hot form and on an 11-match winning streak.

Sinner made that 12, but not before suffering a scare.

"In the first set I was struggling to return his serve and he broke me," Sinner said.

"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 two went toe-to-toe in the first set but it was the Chilean who got in front when he broke for a 4-3 lead when the world number one fired long.

The 28-year-old Jarry consolidated without losing a point in the eighth game and, after double-faulting on his first set point, sealed the set with his fifth ace of the match.

Going behind seemed to sting a re-energised Sinner into action.

The top seed raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, eventually wrapping the set up after briefly threatening to blow his advantage.

Sinner tamed Jarry's big serve to start the deciding set and grab an early break, winning the game with a terrific crosscourt backhand.

Sinner broke again for 4-1 and was well on the way to an ultimately comfortable win.

His main rivals in the Chinese capital will be four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz and the Russian duo of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, the third and fourth seeds.

Novak Djokovic is not in Beijing, where a WTA 1000 event is also taking place at the same time.

Fritz loses on day of shocks at Japan Open

US Open finalist Taylor Fritz crashed out of the Japan Open in the first round on Thursday and Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas joined him on a day of shocks in Tokyo.

Top seed Fritz, who this month became the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since 2009, was bundled out 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by France's Arthur Fils.

It came just hours after number seven seed Tiafoe, who lost to Fritz in the US Open semi-finals, was eliminated with a 7-5, 6-3 loss to fellow American Brandon Nakashima.

Greece's Tsitsipas, the number four seed, went out with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat to American qualifier Alex Michelsen.

World number seven Fritz won the Japan Open title in 2022 but met his match in the energetic 20-year-old Fils.

Fritz needed a medical time-out to deal with a back issue during the second set.

He could not recover as world number 24 Fils closed out the match in just over two hours to set up a second-round match with Italy's Matteo Berrettini.

Tsitsipas's woes deepened after losing to world number 49 Michelsen.

The Greek world number 12 took the first set but had no answer to his 49th-ranked opponent for the rest of the match, losing in 1hr 48min.

A two-time Grand Slam finalist, Tsitsipas was bundled out in the first round at the US Open last month after ending his long-time coaching collaboration with his father, Apostolos.

Defending Japan Open champion Ben Shelton went through with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over fellow American Reilly Opelka.

Number eight seed Shelton, who will play Argentina's Mariano Navone in the second round, said "this is a part of the year where I play very, very well".

Britain's US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper also advanced in Tokyo after beating Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-2.

American Tommy Paul, the number five seed, beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-2.

Number six seed Holger Rune of Denmark outlasted Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.