Lotus court

PIF ATP Live Race To: Italian Grand Slam winner Jannik Sinner made a quick start in his bid to reclaim the China Open trophy, powering past two-time finalist Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2 in the first round even as China's Zhang Zhizhen lost 6-4, 6-2 to France's Terence Atmane on the Lotus Court on Thursday.

Competing for the first time since his US Open final defeat to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, with which he also ceded the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings, Sinner bounced back emphatically. The 24-year-old Italian, who triumphed on his Beijing debut in 2023 and reached last year’s final, saved the only break point he faced upon return to the Chinese ATP 500 event, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Sinner will aim to keep pace in his battle with rival Alcaraz for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours across the remaining months of the season. He trails the Spaniard, who is competing in Tokyo, by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.