Sinner's umpteenth torture

With suffering, with discomfort, leaving another set along the way, but always with the greatness that is presumed of him. Jannik Sinner once again managed to pull through a complicated match in this ATP 500 Beijing 2025, defeating for the eleventh time an Alex De Minaur (6-3, 4-6, 6-2) who still cannot find the formula to deactivate the Italian cyborg. Today, at times, we thought he could make the breakthrough, that the conditions for a surprise were there, until the third set arrived and the truth unfolded. Ticket to a new final, the seventh of the season, the third consecutive one in this event.

No matter what the H2H of a rivalry says, no matter how tilted it is towards one side, I like to think that the day will come— even if it's just one— when the roles of the protagonists will change. The positive thinking when you have lost ten times to the same guy is that, with each defeat, you take away a new lesson, a different learning about what needs to change next time. The negative reflection—perhaps the most realistic one—is that if you have lost ten times to the same player, something is wrong. Jannik Sinner has something—hopefully it's just one thing, the Australian might think— that has prevented Alex De Minaur from defeating him in an official match after more than a lustre facing each other.

From the start, even above any tactical approach, it was vital for De Minaur to choose the right mindset for this semifinal. Would the value of finally crossing the line prevail, or would the dismay of falling into the same trap weigh more? The 10-0 on the scale was hard to stomach, but even crueler was the 23-1 record in sets played. Having a nemesis, someone with a playing style that completely dismantles your skills, regardless of conditions or surface. And even though the one from Sydney is a fighter by nature, someone who always shows up, who is always willing to try, it's clear that with the Italian, that is not enough.

Just in case this was the day when everything would change, Jannik needed to be particularly inspired with his service, a pending matter that gains even more prominence in his matches against Alcaraz. This morning, facing another magnificent returner, his numbers from the service line were crucial to keep everything in place. And he did it, with percentages over 80%, also fighting hard when facing break points against him. The priority was to win the first set (6-3) and start leading, lest problems arise later.

PROBLEMS ARISE

Sinner has that ability to win his matches swiftly, almost unnoticed, which sometimes makes us forget that he is not a machine, as he has expressed at times. His human condition makes him vulnerable, fragile, and imperfect, meaning he can also falter. Suddenly, in the resumption of the second set, something was happening in his left leg, it seemed like the glute. An discomfort that made him reach for the affected area while, without losing his competitive instinct, he saved multiple break points relying on his serve. It must be now or never, the oceanic player must have thought, finding an opportunity to hold onto and not lose faith.

Sport is full of circumstances, and one of those, although not desired—for some it is— is having your opponent injured. Today, it was Sinner's turn to ride that wave, only against an opponent who pushes and squeezes you like few others, focusing on long rallies in search of errors. The one from San Candido committed up to 20 unforced errors in the second set, clearly affected by the new scenario, although it was far from a disaster. When it was 4-4, anything could happen, in fact, it's almost common for the great ones to become impregnable at the critical moment, but the wind would blow in a different direction here.

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A DESERVED FINALIST

Don't ask me how he did it, because Sinner truly doesn't pretend or waste time on a tennis court. The third set began with the Italian breaking serve, then confirming it in a game where he once again saved several break points, and then securing it with a second break that, prematurely, let us know how this would all end. Some may say that De Minaur let it slip away, that he left him a chance, but that's not true. Beyond the missed break points, Alex was always there waiting for his opportunity, which never arrived in the third act. Closing the show with a 6-2 might seem excessively harsh, admittedly, but that's how the World No. 2 operates. And the discomfort? No idea, maybe it was just cramps. Shortly, Daniil Medvedev and Lerner Tien will face off to see who joins him in the last dance of the week.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La enésima tortura de Sinner