Sinner reaches China Open men's final, Gauff into women's quarters

Jannik Sinner marched into a third straight China Open final on Tuesday, dispatching Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in the semifinals and extending an almost absurd personal monopoly to 11-0.  

De Minaur's solitary win in their recent history came courtesy of Sinner's withdrawal before the 2023 Paris Masters; on court, Sinner has been untroubled. The 24‑year‑old has become a familiar figure in Beijing's decider: champion in 2023 after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semis and Daniil Medvedev in the final and runner‑up last year to Alcaraz.

His opponent will be a far less familiar name. Nineteen‑year‑old Learner Tien reached his first ATP final after Medvedev retired in the third set of their semifinal. Medvedev took the opening set 7-5, but Tien rallied to win the second by the same score, and was 4-0 up in the decider when the Russian called it quits. Sinner vs. Tien on Wednesday promises a neat contrast: established top‑seed calm versus a teenager's sudden ascent.

On the women's side, Coco Gauff steadied herself after a shaky start to beat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 and move into the quarterfinals. The win extended Gauff's head‑to‑head edge to 4-2 and keeps her on track to defend her title. The 21-year-old American has has already secured a fourth straight WTA Finals berth. Her next test is Germany's Eva Lys, who recovered from a set down to beat McCartney Kessler 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.