BEIJING/WASHINGTON, October 1, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
In the four weeks since Jannik Sinner lost the US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, he slipped to No. 2 in the ATP Rankings, which surely must have been a disappointment for him.
However, Sinner bounced back nicely this week at the ATP 500 China Open in Beijing, stringing together victories over Marin Cilic, Terence Atmane, Fabian Marozsan and Alex de Minaur to advance to his 30th career ATP Tour final.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sinner reached the winner’s circle for the third time this season after defeating first-time tour-level finalist Learner Tien, 6-2, 6-2, in 72 minutes to win the Beijing final at the National Tennis Centre.
And that’s how it’s done
The moment @janniksin secured his second @chinaopen title #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/sXDXeppQob
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 1, 2025
The 24-year-old from Italy earned his 42nd victory of the 2025 season in his first head-to-head meeting with the 19-year-old American, who would have become the second-youngest champion in tournament history had he won. It was Sinner’s second Beijing title in three years, after winning his first one in 2023, and he’s just the third player – after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – to win the ATP 500 title in the Chinese capital city more than once.
“It’s a very, very special place for me,” Sinner said during the trophy ceremony. “My team, thanks for understanding and working with me. Not all the team is here, so hopefully the rest are watching from home. Thanks for working with me. We will try to improve and push for more and let’s see what the rest of the season looks like, but I am very happy to share this [trophy] with all of you.”
We have a champion! Jannik Sinner (1) takes the trophy after a straight-sets win, 6-2, 6-2, over Learner Tien. It’s his second China Open title—Congratulations! #2025ChinaOpen #AllForPassion pic.twitter.com/SnJiQneOSZ
— China Open (@ChinaOpen) October 1, 2025
Sinner won 77 percent (27 of 35) of his first-serve points, hit 10 aces and struck 22 winners while making just nine unforced errors. He converted four of six break-point opportunities and saved the only two break points he faced from the 52nd-ranked Tien. Sinner outpointed his opponent 58-38. Tien countered with nine winners to 10 unforced errors. However, he was unable to secure any aces against Sinner and placed just 51 percent of his first-serves in play. Tien also committed six double faults.
“This will always be a beautiful tournament no matter what’s coming in the future. It’s very unusual to come to a place for the first time and you win straightaway,” Sinner recalled during his post-match news conference. “This happened to me here. Now three finals in a row in three years. It means that I really like to play tennis here. I feel very comfortable.”
The champion shines again!
Jannik Sinner lifts his second China Open trophy #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/cXfxSVRFUE— China Open (@ChinaOpen) October 1, 2025
Next, Sinner will play at the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, where’s he the defending champion – and now the top-seeded player after Alcaraz withdrew Tuesday due to an ankle injury he incurred in Tokyo en route to winning the Japan Open title on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the lefty Tien will move up to No. 36 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, a career-high ranking. He’s second in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah after scoring a pair of Top-20 wins in Beijing over Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev.
Heliovaara and Patten win Beijing doubles title
Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten of Great Britain won their second tour-level title of the 2025 season after defeating Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev of Russia, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8, in 90 minutes.
The No. 3 seeds did not drop a set en route of the Beijing final. Then, from 6-all in the match tie-break, they won three consecutive points and won on their third championship point. Last year, Heliovaara and Patten finished as runners-up.
Flipping the script
After falling short in the 2024 final, Henry Patten & Harri Heliovaara defeat Khachanov/Rublev 4-6 6-3 [10-8] to claim the Beijing doubles crown.@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/SdtuMRE55C
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 1, 2025
The Finnish-British duo qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year after winning the Beijing title. They are the fourth team to qualify for the year-end event in Turin, Italy, Nov. 9-16.
“Winning tournaments is what we do, that’s why we practice. We put the hard work in,” Heliovaara said. “Our family is at home, missing them. This makes it all worth it.”
Added Patten: “It’s really special to be able to do this. Makes it even more exciting that I’m doing it alongside Harri. He’s one of my great friends and partners.”
By the numbers
Jannik Sinner improved to 23-2 on hard courts this season. He’s the fourth player on the ATP Tour to win three titles this season, joining Carlos Alcaraz (8), Alexander Bublik (4) and Luciano Darderi (3).
“Quotable …”
“It’s been a great week. I’ve loved it here so far. Everything has been great ever since I got to China. This is my first time. I’m trying to take everything in. It’s been amazing so far.
“I’m super happy. Everyone’s been very supportive and so welcoming since I’ve come here. I’m really grateful for all of you.”
– Learner Tien of the United States, during the trophy ceremony, after finishing runner-up to World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.
