Sinner Storms into Beijing Final as Gauff Battles Past Bencic
Jannik Sinner continued his impressive run at the China Open, reaching his third consecutive final after a hard-fought victory over Australia’s Alex de Minaur. Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Coco Gauff displayed her resilience, surviving a thrilling encounter against Belinda Bencic to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the men’s singles semifinals, world No. 2 Sinner secured a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win against de Minaur, who had never defeated the Italian in their previous ten encounters. Despite dropping the second set, Sinner regained his focus in the deciding set, capitalizing on a series of unforced errors from the Australian.
“It’s a very special place for me. This court has always been amazing,” Sinner reflected after the match. “Many things were positive finding myself again here, playing the last match of the tournament, it’s great. I’m very happy to be here on court tomorrow.”
Sinner’s only loss on Beijing’s Diamond Court has been to his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz, who is not competing in this year’s event. The Italian is now one victory away from claiming his second title in Beijing, setting up a final against either American teenager Learner Tien or eighth-seeded Daniil Medvedev.
In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff faced a formidable challenge from 15th seed Belinda Bencic in a match that featured intense moments and on-court tension. Gauff, the second seed, ultimately triumphed with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. The match was marked by a heated exchange during a changeover when Bencic confronted Gauff about her team’s behavior, to which Gauff responded assertively.
“It was a tough match,” Gauff admitted. “I had chances in the first to close it out, but overall I’m happy with how I fought. She was being really aggressive.”
The 21-year-old American showcased her tenacity, particularly in the tiebreak of the second set, where Bencic’s double fault on set point proved pivotal. Gauff broke early in the third set and maintained her momentum to secure the win, with Bencic faltering in the final moments of the match.
With this victory, Gauff has also qualified for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia this November. “Happy to qualify once again. Happy to be back in Riyadh and I’m glad I was able to do it here,” she said in her post-match interview.
Gauff will now face 66th-ranked Eva Lys of Germany, who reached the quarterfinals after defeating McCartney Kessler of the United States.
