The leader Jannik Sinner fights back and starts defending his title at the China Open | Tennis News

World number one Jannik Sinner fought back and started the defense of his China Open title on Thursday with a 4:6, 6:3, 6:1 victory over 28th-ranked Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

The US Open winner will next face the experienced three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who is competing in Beijing with a wildcard, or the Russian Roman Safiullin.

Sinner, 23, arrived in the Chinese capital after winning his second major title in New York, following his triumph at the Australian Open earlier this year.

With a win also at the Cincinnati Masters before the US Open, Sinner met Jarry in top form and with an 11-game winning streak.

Sinner made it to 12, but not before suffering a scare.

“In the first set I struggled to return his serve and he broke me,” Sinner said.

“I just tried to stay there mentally. The first round of a tournament is never easy and playing against him is very tough.”

“But I’m happy with the performance and how I finished the game.”

The two went neck-and-neck in the first set, but it was the Chilean who took the lead when he took a 4-3 lead after a long shot from the world number one.

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

The deficit seemed to spur a resurgent Sinner into action.

The top seed fought back to a 3-0 lead in the second set and finally ended the set after briefly threatening to squander his lead.

Sinner tamed Jarry’s big serve to start the deciding set and secure an early break, winning the game with a great crosscourt backhand.

Sinner broke out again to make it 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 Russian duo 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.