Overdelivery
Alcaraz beats Sinner in a classic
What is the sign of a transcendent tennis rivalry?
It promises a great duel and then somehow overdelivers.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner did it again in the Beijing final, taking the stage and then chewing up the scenery with a three-set, three-hour-and-21-minute display of offense and defense that had the crowd all roared out by the end.
It could truly have gone either way and that it went Alcaraz’s was a testimony to his all-court skillset and attacking mentality. Perhaps most importantly, this 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) thrill ride was a tribute to his capacity to move on from his big August disappointments and let his talent roam unfettered when he needed it most.
This was no major final or Olympic gold-medal match, simply an ATP 500 final on a Wednesday of all days. But it was his most significant final yet against Sinner, the mop-topped Italian who looks destined to be the yin to Alcaraz’s yang for years to come, depending, to some degree, on what the sports courts decide in the months to come.