Bu-hoo. Sinner smothers upset dream of Chinese challenger

Jannik Sinner finished with his 11th ace on Tuesday as the defending champion moved into a second straight final at the China Open with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) defeat of a wily local wild card.

No. 96 Bu Yunchaokete put up a fight for two hours but could not deny the world No. 1 Italian a 15th consecutive victory.

Sinner will play for the trophy on Wednesday at the oddly scheduled event when he faces rival Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spaniard earned his spot in the title match by defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3 in Beijing.

Sinner had to work to hold off Bu, who had the crowd completely on his side. The top seed dominated in the second-set tiebreaker after earning his lone break from nine chances in the opening set.

Sinner threw down on his match-winning ace to arn an ATP-leading 59th match win this season as he seeks a seventh title of 2024.

“Today was very tough since I dnd;t know his game at all,” the 22-year-old winner said. “I didn;t know what to expect.

“In the first set I was playing some good tennis but my level dropped off a bit in the second. 

“I had chances for an early break which I did not use, but I stayed mentally together.

“Sets can move quickly and can get away from you, I’m happy to be in the final again.”

Sinner ended with 32 winners and 29 unforced errors and takes confidence into his final with Alcaraz.

The Spaniard has won their last two meetings (semi-finals at Indian Wells and Roland Garros).

The final will be tactical, we know each other’s games well,” Sinner said.

“The final will be tactical, we know each other very well. It will be all about tomorrow.

“I’ll rest today and clear my head. Things on court will be different than our last two matches.”

Alcaraz needed 88 minutes to defeat Medvedev, who twice received on-court treatment on a hip as the Spanaird secured his eighth straight win to stand 6-2 over his opponent lifetime.

“We both started the match pretty well,” Alcaraz said “It was a little bit unusual, with serve being broken many times(five)  in the first set. 

“I probably lost focus a little bit, missed a few first serves that against Daniil on a hard court, is a really important weapon.

“I’m really happy I didn’t lose my focus for too long in the first set. I recovered it as soon as I got broken.