Jannik Sinner made his first appearance on the court since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 US Open final, taking part at the China Open on Thursday (September 25).
The Italian was in action against Maren Cilic at the ATP 500 event in Beijing, in what was also his first outing since Alcaraz replaced him as the world no. 1.
Thankfully for Sinner, there was no hangover from Flushing Meadows and he was able to comfortably take care of proceedings against Cilic, winning 6-2 6-2 in just 82 minutes.
The 24-year-old is looking to reclaim his title in the Chinese capital after losing last year's final to Alcaraz.
Starting off STRONG! 💪@janniksin defeats Cilic 6-2 6-2 and advances into Round 2 in Beijing@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/8W6A9G9003
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 25, 2025
The four-time Grand Slam champion had a break point in the very first game of his opening round contest in Beijing, but Cilic held on for the time being.
Sinner eventually landed breaks in the fifth and seventh game to take the opening set with ease.
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After landing two early breaks in the second set, Sinner then had the chance to finish off the match at 5-2 up while Cilic served, but the Croat was able to save two match points.
Cilic, a two-time finalist in Beijing, got his first and only break point of the whole match in the following game, but he was unable to stretch the contest any longer and Sinner served out to secure passage into the next round.
Sinner's reaction to returning to winning ways
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After defeating Cilic, Sinner reflected on his return to the court and revealed how he prepared for the China Open.
"I try to put a lot of concentration into the first-round matches, because I know that many things can go wrong," the Italian said post-match.
"I try to prepare myself in the best possible way. I came here quite early in order to feel the conditions."
"I’m very happy to deliver this kind of performance. Marin is a very tough player to play against, his peak is quite high. I managed to break him quite early in both sets, which gave me the confidence," the 2023 champion added.
Sinner will now take on Terence Atmane in the next round on Saturday (September 27), after the Frenchman took care of business against home favourite Zhang Zhizhen.
The two previously met at the semi-final stage of the Cincinnati Open last month, which saw Sinner triumph in straight sets.
Sinner will not come up against Alcaraz in China as the Spaniard is currently competing at the Japan Open instead.
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