Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will meet in a final for only the second time after both progressed in the China Open semis.
Between them the duo won all four majors this year and will end the week ranked as the world’s top two.
Alcaraz’s athleticism was again on show as he advanced with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
“I felt great on the court once again, so I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz, who extended his head-to-head record against the Russian to 6-2, said, adding: “I couldn’t ask for a better semi-final.”
Alcaraz found his way through a testing first set that had five breaks of serve, but crucially it was the 21-year-old Spaniard third service break in the 12th game that secured the set.
With the confidence of a set lead, Alcaraz accelerated and Medvedev had no answers as Alcaraz, who has climbed a place ton world No.2 in the live rankings, wrapped up the semi-final in 88 minutes.
Alcaraz has now won eight straight matches across the Davis Cup, Laver Cup and in Beijing since his loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round at the US Open.
Sinner dispensed with Chinese wild card Bu Yunchaokete as expected, 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Bu had sent the Beijing crowd wild on Monday by knocking out fourth seed Andrey Rublev. But on Tuesday Sinner, despite the shock of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to appeal the Italian being cleared in a drug probe, was a different matter even if Bu did force a second set tiebreak.
World No.1 Sinner, the Australian and US Open champion, is gunning for his seventh title of the season while Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz is seeking his fourth.
After five successive semi-final meetings this is their first final match-up since Sinner won in straight sets in the 2022 Croatia Open.
Alcaraz will go to No.2 as Alexander Zverev missed Beijing with a lung issue. The German said doctors have given him the go ahead to take part in the Shanghai Masters starting on Wednesday even though it has not cleared up.
“The problem I have with my lungs won’t go away within a week or two. It will probably take a month or two,” the 27-year-old told reporters.
He added he now has the right medication for his mild pneumonia and “I hope that it gets better with every week.”
with agencies
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