BEIJING (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner overcame a scare from Nicolas Jarry to begin his defense of the China Open title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 first-round victory on Thursday. The Italian extended his win streak to 12 after titles at Cincinnati and the U.S.
Open, his second Grand Slam title this year. Sinner's record over the past 52 weeks stands at 76-6. Jarry won their only previous match on grass in 2019 at ’s-Hertogenbosch and the Chilean overpowered Sinner in the first set in Beijing with 11 winners.
“In the first set I was struggling to return his serve and he broke me," Sinner said. "I just tried to stay there mentally. The first round at any tournament is never easy and playing against him is very tough.
But I am happy about the performance and how I ended the match.” Sinner raised his game to level the sets and broke Jarry twice in a dominant third set. He next faced wild card Stan Wawrinka or lucky loser Roman Safiullin.
Adrian Mannarino also rallied from a set down to beat Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 for his 300th win on tour, 16 years after his first. No. 3-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, seeded second in Beijing, begins against No.
51 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France on Friday. Winners of women's first-round matches included Kamilla Rakhimova, Croatian qualifier Jana Fett, Camilla Osorio, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Nadia Podoroska. The 32 seeds received first-round byes, including U.
S. Open champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was not.