Sinner kicks off China Open bid with sweep of Cilic

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner is off to a waxing-hot start in the China Open tournament after bringing out the brooms against Marin Cilic, 6-2, 6-2, on Sept. 25, 2025, in Beijing.

The Italian ace pulled off a dream start in the ATP stage as he dominated the former world No. 3 without committing a single double fault while also tallying three service aces during the straight-sets showdown.

Too powerful and too crafty, Sinner personified what it meant to be a destructive hitting machine when he scored 62 total points, built from 12 game wins.

It was all Sinner from the get-go as the four-time Grand Slam winner bullied Cilic during the long baseline rally exchanges with his laser-quick forehand bombs.

Despite Cilic’s adjustment of attacking the net to close the gap, Sinner stuck to his game plan and punished the Croatian star with a series of down-the-line passing winners.

With only two sets needed to bag the 1-0 lead, Sinner flawlessly took care of his service possessions and ended the first frame in style with a lopsided service-break performance.

The start of the second set was a rewind of the previous affair as Sinner gained ground with convincing back-to-back service holds and another break point.

The 24-year-old stalwart then put the crowd on their feet with a banana forehand winner on the right side, followed by a serve-and-volley technique that Cilic didn’t see coming.

“I try to put a lot of concentration into the first-round matches, because I know that many things can go wrong,” said Sinner during his postgame interview.

“I’m very happy to deliver this kind of performance today. 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 to keep going.”