By Jannik Sinner,TennisUpToDate.com

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Jannik Sinner faced the press after reaching his 7th final of the season so far, having defeated Alex de Miñaur in three sets at the China Open. The World No. 2 will contest the Beijing final for the third consecutive year, following another convincing performance, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

The Italian will seek his third title of the season this Wednesday, having already secured the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. In the four finals he has lost this season, all were at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz. This time, his opponent will be the ‘giant killer’ Learner Tien, who is competing in his first ATP 500 final.

Sinner attended the press conference after the victory over De Miñaur and admitted that he has not been at 100% physically in recent days, though he does not expect this to become a complication in the final against Tien. “It’s nothing serious. I had diarrhea for the past few days and lost some fluid, but I feel fine,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said. “I also had a bit of tension. The mix of tension and the past few days weren’t easy, but yes, I feel fine. I’m not worried about tomorrow. Everything is fine.”

Sinner has had a consistent week, defeating Marin Cilic, Terence Atmane, Fabián Marozsan, and De Minaur along the way. This will be the 30th final of his career and the 8th consecutive on hardcourt.

Sinner downplays health scare ahead of final vs. Tien

In the final, Sinner will face the 19-year-old Learner Tien, one of the surprises this season since he broke through with his first Top-10 victory against Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open. Since then, he has amassed a notable 5-3 record against Top-10 players, the latest coming this week against World No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti. On his path this week in Beijing, he added wins against Francisco Cerúndolo (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), Flavio Cobolli (6-3, 6-2), Lorenzo Musetti (4-6, 6-3, 3-0 ret.), and Medvedev (5-7, 7-5, 4-0 ret.).

The American has troubled many of the world’s best, though he has no previous encounters registered against Sinner. He has reached his first ATP-level final, and an ATP 500 no less, boosting his ranking to World No. 36—his first appearance inside the Top-50 so far—and a surprise win over Sinner would propel him further to No. 32.

“I enjoy watching tennis; I’m a big fan”: Sinner admits watching rivals

Another topic addressed by Jannik Sinner was his declaration as a tennis enthusiast, even when he is off the court. While some prefer not to follow the sport too closely when off-court, the Italian admitted that he enjoys watching tennis on television just like any other fan. “I watch matches not only here but also in other tournaments. I enjoy watching tennis; I’m a big fan, I watch all the matches.”

The Italian was asked about his rivals and admitted he would be watching the Japan Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz—who were playing minutes after Sinner left the court in Beijing. “I’ve never been to Tokyo, but it seems like the conditions of how the game is played, through television, are a bit different from here,” he explained, admitting he is keeping an eye on the final between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz in the Japanese tournament.