Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final

Beijing: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will play rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open after recording a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory against home favorite Bu Yunchaokete in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 5-4 — including wins at both their meetings this year — but Sinner doesn’t believe that recent history will have a bearing on Wednesday’s final. “It’s going to be a tough match,” Sinner said. “We know each other very well now, but every match is different, so the situation on the court is also a bit different than it was the last two matches. But let’s see.”

The Italian is the defending champion and hasn’t appeared distracted by the World Anti-Doping Agency announcing Saturday it was seeking a ban of one to two years for the U.S. Open champion, who tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March.