Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka grab Shanghai/Wuhan

Aryna Sabalenka
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

How did they do it again?  They might have been tired, but in the court, they can be locked in hour after hour. The Italian Jannik Sinner out-hit Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final in the Rolex Shanghai Masters, while the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka out-lasted Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final at Wuhan. They both won it again almost all year, winning the Australian and US Open. This time, while many people are exhausted in the fall, Sinner and Sabalenka can rid the ball, crosscourt or down the line. They are now very focused, and also, they can change it up, and hammer the ball.

Sinner will finish the year as No. 1, but he wants more: to win the titles at the ATP 1000 in Paris and the ATP Final in Turin, Italy. 

The No. 2 Sabalenka could also eventually be No. 1 very soon, but she has to win more titles against the top person, Iga Swiatek. Right now, it is very close.

“That’s really tight ranking right now. Really nice to see,” Sabalenka said. “I always say of course it’s one of the goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and just keep working hard.  We’ll see after the Finals if I was good enough this season to become World No. 1.”

She is one of the most gigantic hitters on the tour.  Sabalenka can scream in the rallies with her heady forehand and her backhand. Two years ago, she threw in so many double faults, but now, she is much better, with her serve. Plus, she can be calm and thinking where she will go.

The same thing is with Sinner, another very intelligent young person. He can move the ball, hit it flat, or spin it. He can crack it in the middle, deep, until he gets a chance to grab a winner, and then he can throw it into the corners.  A few years ago, he was very good, but he was struggling at times. Now, when he returns, he can find it.

That is why he beat the 24 Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who was close, but he could not break him.  

“It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have,” said Sinner. “I’m very happy with how I handled the situation. I played a really good tiebreak which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.

“It’s tough to tell you a secret about [Djokovic] because he doesn’t have any weaknesses. You have to try and use the small chances that he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our sport, he’s very tough to play against, so I am very happy.”

In the summer, he won Cincinnati and was on a role. He will charge in Paris, and then, in November, in the ATP Final, he will be there in Italy. The crowds will be colorful for him. 

Sabalenka was just fine in the third set, yet the very talented Zheng began to collapse with her strokes. She was pushing her soft serve, which would not get it done.

“At critical points in this match, I need to increase my speed,” Zheng said. “I was a little bit conservative. The shaking of my racquet when I became conservative made more unforced errors. She forced me to see some of the weaknesses in my tactics. After this loss, I’m feeling excited because I am doing better each time. There’s more room for improvement.”

She has to reach the top 5 and stay there. Can Sabalenka become No. 1 and stay there for a very long time? Possibly.