Sinner Will Not Compete With Alcaraz in Shanghai

BEIJING, WEDNESDAY – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have faced each other five times in 2025, all of which took place in finals. However, they rarely compete in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and this will be repeated at the Shanghai Masters, from October 1 to 12.

Alcaraz and Sinner actually had the opportunity to compete in the final of the Shanghai Masters as they occupy the top two positions in the world rankings and in the tournament seedings. They also achieved good results in the tournaments held in Asia over the past week, each becoming champions in different locations.

Sinner won the ATP 500 in Beijing, China, after defeating Learner Tien in the final held on Wednesday (1/10/2025). The victory with a score of 6-2, 6-2 over the 19-year-old American tennis player of Vietnamese descent marked Sinner's third title out of seven finals this year. Except for the finals in Beijing and the Australian Open (against Alexander Zverev), Sinner faced Alcaraz in the other finals.

"This is a special place for me. Thank you to the team that supports me even though not everyone is present here. We will continue to do our best for the remainder of this season," said Sinner, who won the ATP Beijing for the second time after 2023.

In a tournament of this level held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 24 to 30, Alcaraz emerged as the champion. He secured the title in his debut in Tokyo while dealing with a left ankle injury since the first round. Alcaraz endured the pain, including when he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final on Tuesday.

Shortly after securing his seventh title from nine consecutive finals since April, Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters, which commenced its first round on Wednesday. This tournament, held since 2009, is the highest level ATP tournament in Asia. Alcaraz's name at the top of the draw has been replaced by Corentin Moutet, while Sinner occupies the lowest position in the draw.

"Unfortunately, I am struggling with physical issues and after discussions with the team, we are confident that the best decision is to rest and recover," said Alcaraz on his Instagram account.

The 22-year-old tennis player indeed follows a tight schedule. Since April, Alcaraz has participated in nine tournaments and has consistently reached the finals. This means that Alcaraz always competes until the last day of the tournament before moving on to the next one.

After winning the US Open Grand Slam in New York from August 25 to 31, he participated in the men's team championship, the Laver Cup, in San Francisco from September 19 to 21, before moving to Asia. Initially, the Shanghai Masters was on his schedule, but his physical condition did not allow Alcaraz to perform in front of the Chinese public.

Thus, the owner of six Grand Slam titles will face the next challenge in the tournament in Europe, which takes place from the third week of October. "The tournament schedule is too tight. They (professional tennis organizations) need to do something about the schedule," said Alcaraz, echoing the sentiments expressed by female tennis players Iga Swiatek and Cori Gauff.

For Sinner, the final in Beijing marks his seventh of the year. His physical condition is better than Alcaraz's because Sinner did not compete in any tournaments after the Australian Open earlier this year. He underwent a suspension from February 9 to May 4 due to a doping case.

Based on this, Sinner and Alcaraz have rarely participated in the same tournament at the Masters 1000 level this year. They have only appeared together in the same event twice, namely at the Rome and Cincinnati Masters, competing in a final won by Alcaraz.

After losing in the US Open final to Alcaraz, Sinner took a break before appearing in Beijing. Therefore, this Italian tennis player should be able to take advantage of the opportunity in Shanghai with Alcaraz's absence. Moreover, the Spanish player has always been the toughest competitor, as Sinner has lost four out of five encounters this year.

Sinner will begin his Shanghai Masters campaign as the defending champion, facing Daniel Altmaier in the second round, having received a bye in the first round. In the bottom half of the draw, he could face other seeds such as Fritz, Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, and Novak Djokovic, whom he defeated in the 2024 final.

Djokovic arrived in Shanghai after losing to Alcaraz in the US Open semifinals. Although he has more frequently lost when facing Alcaraz or Sinner, the four-time Shanghai Masters champion is still a contender to be considered a winner when competing against other players.

In the women's singles competition at the WTA 1000 level in Beijing, the fourth seed, Mirra Andreeva, failed to match her achievement in 2024 when she reached the quarter-finals. Andreeva, who was the fourth seed, was eliminated by Sonay Kartal with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 5-7 in the fourth round on Wednesday.

Kartal, the British tennis player who recently competed in the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, will continue her journey by facing Linda Noskova. In the fourth round, Noskova defeated Anastasia Potapova with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Gauff, the defending champion, secured her place in the quarter-finals a day earlier. The second-seeded tennis player faced tight matches in the last two rounds, each lasting three sets, against Leylah Fernandez and Belinda Bencic.

He won against Bencic 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the fourth round after having previously overcome Fernandez's pressure, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. (ap/afp/iya)