In Beijing, top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner secured a hard-fought victory over Roman Safiullin, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the China Open. However, his triumph was overshadowed by the announcement that his steroid case is far from resolved. The World Anti-Doping Agency is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner, who tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March. Despite an independent tribunal clearing him of any wrongdoing, the agency has filed an appeal, which will now be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Sinner expressed surprise and disappointment at the appeal, stating that he had three positive hearings and was not expecting this outcome. On the court, he faced a tough challenge from Safiullin, who broke his serve twice to take the opening set. However, Sinner’s powerful baseline play and accuracy helped him win seven straight games in the second set, ultimately securing the win.
In other matches, Italy’s Flavio Cabolli advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Pavel Kotov, while third-seeded Daniil Medvedev played his second-round match against Adrian Mannarino later in the day. In the women’s draw, US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka progressed to the third round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew. Sabalenka, who has never gone beyond the quarterfinals in Beijing, will face American Ashlyn Krueger in the next round.
Meanwhile, at the Japan Open, Tomas Machac caused an upset by defeating fifth-seeded Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the quarterfinals. The top-seeded players have struggled in Tokyo, with Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Stefaos Tsitsipas all eliminated in the first round, followed by Hubert Hurkacz’s loss in the second round. Sixth-seeded Holger Rune is now the highest-ranked seed remaining in the draw, while defending champion Ben Shelton is the only other seeded player left in the quarterfinals.
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