Top seeds at the China Open in Beijing gave their ATP Finals dreams a big boost on Friday, as Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev, and rising star Jakub Mensik all grabbed key wins to climb the Live Race to Turin.
Australian powerhouse Alex de Minaur, sitting pretty at No. 8 in the ATP Live Race to Turin, cruised into the second round with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 victory over China’s Bu Yunchaokete. Leading the tour with 32 hard-court wins this season, De Minaur eyes his second trip to the ATP Finals after debuting there in 2024. He broke early in the first set and held strong, firing aces and forcing errors to wrap it up. In the second set, he turned up the heat, winning six games in a row without dropping a game.
“I knew I had to bring it from the very first point, and the goal is to keep bringing the energy,” De Minaur said after the match. “I want to finish the year strong because Turin is the priority. All that recovery and hard work paid off today.”
De Minaur smashed 10 aces—twice as many as Bu—and saved the only break point he faced. This marks his third win over Bu this year, following triumphs in Miami and Washington. The 23-year-old Bu, China’s top-ranked men’s singles player at No. 89, struggled with his emotions after an early break. “I didn’t feel physical issues, but my emotions got unstable, and I couldn’t adjust,” Bu admitted. He felt okay about the first set but knew the second slipped away fast due to pressure.
Up next for De Minaur is France’s Arthur Rinderknech, who beat David Goffin in straight sets. The Aussie has had a stellar year, winning the Washington Open title and reaching the US Open quarterfinals, all while chasing that ATP Finals spot in Turin.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Czech sensation Jakub Mensik, a NextGenATP standout, jumped to 18th in the Live Race with a solid 7-5, 6-4 upset over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. Though he’s still 1,115 points behind De Minaur for a qualification spot, Mensik stays optimistic as the hard-court season winds down. He’ll face qualifier Arthur Cazaux next, who came back from a set down to beat China’s wild card Shang Juncheng 0-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in their first ATP meeting.
German star Alexander Zverev, a two-time ATP Finals champ and now third in the Live Race to Turin, made quick work of Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6-4, 6-3 to go 6-0 in their head-to-head. Zverev has a strong history in Beijing, reaching the semifinals in three of his last four appearances here. Next up, he takes on unpredictable Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who followed his Hangzhou semifinal run with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Tallon Griekspoor. Moutet, at a career-high No. 37, has racked up 26 tour-level wins this year—nearly double his 2022 total.
On a sour note for recent form, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik climbed to 12th in the Live Race after his fourth title of the season in Hangzhou last week. But he couldn’t keep the momentum going, falling 6-3, 6-2 to France’s Adrian Mannarino in his Beijing opener.
These China Open results keep the race for the ATP Finals in Turin heating up, with hard-court battles deciding who joins the elite eight at season’s end.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
