No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner defeated qualifier Terence Atmane 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 in the second round of the 2025 China Open on Saturday, Sept. 27, on the Diamond Court. The match featured stretches of sharp shot-making from both players, with momentum shifting both ways before Sinner ultimately took control.
In the opening set, Sinner struck first, breaking Atmane in the third game with a pair of winners, including one on break point, to move ahead 3-1. Atmane pushed back in the next game, taking Sinner’s serve to three deuces and earning two break points, but he couldn’t convert—missing once with an unforced error and then losing to an ace. The Frenchman created more chances in the ninth game with three break points, but again came up short as Sinner held with a mix of aces and steady play. The Italian closed out the set with an ace, 6-4.
The second set was a rollercoaster, beginning with a string of breaks to love from both players. From games three through six, neither could hold serve as winners and errors traded hands. Atmane eventually seized the upper hand late in the set, using his serve—which produced 11 aces over the match—to keep Sinner under pressure. Leading 6-5, he pressured Sinner’s serve with a pair of clean winners to go up 0-30. Sinner leveled at deuce, but back-to-back errors gave Atmane the break and the set, 7-5.
From there on, Sinner reasserted himself. He raced through the third set, breaking to love in the opening game and sprinting to a 4-0 lead. Atmane struggled physically, appearing to cramp in his hand and needing minor treatment after being broken a third time. Sinner capitalized, serving out the match with ease.
There was a brief scare when Sinner slipped and grabbed his ankle during the third set, but he downplayed any concerns afterward.
“No, feels good. No problems. It's all good,” he said.
Saturday marked the second meeting of the season between the two, following their semifinal clash in Cincinnati, where Atmane had enjoyed a breakout run.
“It was for sure a tough match,” Sinner said. “I was up two times to break in the second set and couldn’t use it, but that happens. Obviously, I’m happy I came through today’s challenge. Not the way you want to win. He struggled with some cramps at the end, but generally I’m happy to be back in the quarterfinals.”
Sinner now advances to face World No. 57 Fabian Marozsan of Hungary in the quarterfinals on Monday.
“We played in Halle more than a year ago,” Sinner said about Marozsan. “He’s playing great—he’s a big hitter, has great touch, and his peak is very high. It’s kind of a new challenge again, but I’m excited.
— Reporting by Connor Greene
De Minaur survives scare from Rinderknech in three sets
No. 3 seed Alex De Minaur held on to defeat World No. 54 Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) on Saturday, Sept. 27, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Rinderknech initially lost to David Goffin in the second round of qualifying but entered the tournament as the lucky loser and beat Goffin in a three-set first-round rematch.
De Minaur came off a 6-4, 6-0 opening round win over Yunchaokete Bu and looked poised for another straightforward victory. He broke Rinderknech’s serve in the fourth game of the opening set to grab a 3-1 lead and closed out the set 6-3 with an ace. But the 6-foot-5 Rinderknech did not fold. In the second set, he broke serve to take a 2-0 lead after two uncharacteristic errors from De Minaur. Rinderknech dropped only five points in his final four service games, using a steady serve-and-volley attack to take the set 6-3.
The third set turned into a thriller. The two held serve through 2-2 before De Minaur double-faulted to fall behind 15-40 in the fifth game. Rinderknech squandered three break points, sailing a forehand long on the last one, and De Minaur held with a fist pump and yell of “Come on!” With De Minaur leading 4-3, Rinderknech saved a break point by combining two powerful serves with crisp volleys at the net. Serving 5-6, Rinderknech saved a third match point with an ace and then outlasted De Minaur in a 14-point rally to force a tiebreak. The drama ended there as De Minaur converted two mini-breaks and rolled through the tiebreak 7-2.
De Minaur is the sixth man to reach nine tour-level quarterfinals this year. He credited the fans with helping him hang on for the latest win.
“It was very stressful, but thank you for the amazing support,” he said. “I’m very happy to be here.”
The Australian will face No. 7 seed Jakob Mensik in the quarterfinals.
—Reporting by Coby Spratte
Mensik outlasts Cazaux in the second round of the 2025 China Open
In the last match of the evening, No. 7 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia outlasted qualifier Arthur Cazaux of France 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round. After splitting the opening sets, Mensik ultimately prevailed with a stunning display of forehand and backhand winners in the decider.
The first set stayed on serve through the opening seven games, with both players holding comfortably. In the eighth game, Cazaux lost focus, committing two double faults and an unforced error to hand Mensik the crucial break for 5-3. Serving for the set, Mensik saved a break point with a strong ace, then sealed the opener 6-3 with a forehand winner.
The momentum shifted in the second set. Cazaux capitalized on three unforced errors from Mensik to grab an early 3-1 lead. Though Mensik pushed the next game to four deuces, Cazaux held firm. Both players held comfortably until Cazaux broke serve in the final game to close the set 6-2. Net exchanges repeatedly went Cazaux’s way, as he thrived by moving forward and dictating play.
The final set began with Cazaux gifting a break in the opening game with two unforced errors, but he struck back in the fourth, pressuring Mensik’s second serve, which won just five out of 14 points (36%) in the set. At 3-3, Mensik raised his level, ripping a backhand and then a forehand winner to create three break points. He converted on the last one to go up 4-3. From there it was too late for the Frenchman as both players held serve, allowing Mensik to close out the match 6-4.
Cazaux’s run at the China Open comes to an end after three wins, including two come-from-behind victories over wild cards Coleman Wong in the qualifiers, and Juncheng Shang in the first round.
Mensik will face No. 3 seed Alex De Minaur in the quarterfinals on Monday. The World No. 8 leads the series 3-0, including a straight-sets win over Mensik less than a week ago at the Laver Cup.
— Reporting by Connor Greene
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