Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev to win the China Open on Wednesday, edging out the world No. 3 in a largely deadlocked men's final that came down to a pair of high-stakes tie-breaks in Beijing.

The Italian triumphed 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2) to take the first such tournament since 2019 after Beijing lifted COVID-19 restrictions.

Neither man was able to break the other's serve in a close-fought match but Sinner came close in the opening set when he walloped a presentable overhead volley long on break point and allowed the Russian to hold from deuce.

But it was a different story in the tie-break, with the world No. 7 racing into a 5-0 lead and sealing the deal when Medvedev struck a forehand into the net.

A similar stalemate ensued in set two, with the first dozen games going with serve before Sinner again showed his composure in the tie-break.

He took the lead with a deft drop shot and never looked back, whipping a stunning cross-court passing shot for match point and battering a Medvedev serve back across him to seize victory in front of a raucous crowd.

World No. 2 and tournament favorite Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated by Sinner in their semi-final on Wednesday.

The top-ranked men's player, Novak Djokovic, is not playing in China this year.

Meanwhile, the first round of the ATP Shanghai Masters kicked off in the financial hub on Wednesday.

A delighted home crowd watched on as China's Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete both made it through to the second round.

"Before the match, I was super nervous, like, super, super," Zhang told a press conference afterwards. "But when I step on the court, I just need to focus on what I need to do."

Serbia's Dusan Lajovic eliminated three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets earlier in the afternoon.

The world No. 54 has an impressive list of wins this year, including ones over compatriot Djokovic and Sinner. But Britain's Andy Murray had a miserable night, losing to Russian Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2.

The loss crowns a disappointing set of recent results for the 36-year-old, who has been a finalist in Shanghai four times previously. He also crashed out of the China Open in the first round last week in Beijing.