Coco Gauff Wins China Open, Sinner and Alcaraz Advance in Shanghai
BEIJING — Coco Gauff clinched her second title of the season with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova in the China Open final on Sunday.
At the age of 20, the sixth-ranked American player became the youngest China Open champion in 14 years. She also became the second American champion in Beijing, following Serena Williams’ title triumphs in 2004 and 2013.
This marked Gauff’s eighth career title. Her record in tour finals improved to 8-1, and she now boasts a 7-0 record in hard-court finals, an unprecedented feat in the Open Era.
Gauff, who successfully defended her Auckland title earlier this season, made a swift start, capturing the opening set in just 31 minutes. She dropped only five points on her first serve, struck 24 winners, and broke Muchova five times.
Gauff’s win in Beijing enhanced her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals, featuring the top eight players, for the third consecutive year. With her title, she will overtake Jessica Pegula to claim the No. 5 spot ahead of the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season, the Wuhan Open, starting Monday.
Shanghai Masters
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner overcame a one-set deficit to rally to a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2 victory against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Shanghai Masters.
A night after securing his 250th career match win with a straight-sets victory, the 23-year-old Italian faced a much tougher third-round challenge against the No. 37-ranked Argentine under the roof of the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, which hosted play due to rain.
Sinner will next face either No. 16-ranked Ben Shelton, who defeated the Italian here last year, or Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain.
Etcheverry delivered the shot of the night with a stunning drop volley to earn set point in the first-set tiebreak, which he converted to take the lead.
Sinner began to find his rhythm better in the second set, and after exchanging breaks midway through the set, the Italian found another opportunity to level the match.
The momentum shifted entirely in Sinner’s favor in the third set, as he broke Etcheverry twice more to secure victory in 2 hours and 39 minutes under a retractable roof at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Due to heavy rain, play was limited to the main court, with all matches on outside courts postponed until Monday.
“It was a very tough match, physically (and) mentally, so I am very happy to get through this one,” said Sinner, who is chasing a seventh title this year.
Fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev also came from behind for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Matteo Arnaldi to earn his fourth-round berth against either 12th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller.
The 28-year-old Medvedev was forced to dig deep to level the match after the Italian took a tight first set.
In the deciding set, Medvedev’s experience and composure proved crucial as he clinched a vital break in the ninth game and held firm to close out the match in 2 hours and 44 minutes.
Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won the China Open on Wednesday for his fourth title of the year, defeated Chinese player Wu Yibing 7-6 (5), 6-3.