Jannik Sinner moves to quarterfinals after win over Roman Safiullin

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner moved one step closer to repeating his China Open title with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 second-round win over lucky loser Roman Safiullin. Saturday’s match on the Diamond Court took a similar path to Sinner’s first round match, as he won the match after dropping the first set. The win improves his match winning streak to 13 matches and brings him to a tie (w/Zverev) for most wins (57) on the ATP Tour this season.

No. 69 Safiullin took control early in the first set, using his booming serve to gain a 3-0 lead. The 27-year-old maintained his composure throughout the set and was able to gain two service breaks. He recorded three aces in the first set and his serve consistently forced Sinner to play far behind the baseline. Sinner refused to back down, but could not overcome his flurry of missed shots. Safuillin won the first set 6-3.

“Today I struggled a little bit,” Sinner said afterward. “I changed a couple of things in the second set, which then helped me get into the rhythm of the match.”

The first four games of the second set looked much the same, with the two holding serve. It wasn’t until the fifth game that Sinner began to play more aggressively, approaching the net when possible and leaning on his forehand to land key shots. Though he continued to miss shots, Sinner was now in control through the rest of the set. Fist-pumps and the occasional yell from Sinner showed he was determined to finish the match strong. And he did, taking the last four games and winning the set 6-3.

Sinner rode this momentum through the third set. He earned a service break in the second game and defended his own service games with ease. Meanwhile, Safiullin seemed visibly frustrated as Sinner made difficult shots look easy. In the end, Sinner’s grip on the match did not let up and he won the third set 6-3.

“Of course, if I want to win the next round I have to raise my level,” Sinner said.

Sinner’s match with Safiullin was their third meeting and the 23-year-old Italian now leads their head-to-head 3-0.

Sinner will face World No. 37 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals on Monday. It will be his 13th quarterfinal of the season in 13 tournaments played.

—Reporting by Egan Ward