Tennis News: Thiem defeats Osaka shine to win China Open

Dominic Thiem weathered some of Stefanos Tsitsipas' best tennis on Sunday to win his fourth title of the season 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 at the China Open in Beijing. Thiem needed two hours and 13 minutes to seal the full-sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. Thiem and Tsitsipas went into the match with the Austrian leading 3-2 in their head to head. Thiem had won all but one of his matches here in Beijing in straight sets, while Tsitsipas had needed deciders in two of his, including when he took out defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvilli Thiem broke in the 10th game of the second set to wrestle momentum away for good against the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who was going for his first ATP 500 crown. Thiem was too locked in during the deciding set, and the Austrian, who also beat Roger Federer for the BNP Paribas Open title in March, won his second hard-court title in a season for the first time in his career. The win, which gives Thiem 15 ATP Tour titles, also marks only the second time in his career that he has won four championships in a single year (2016). Thiem matches Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the ATP Tour title leaders in 2019. In women’s singles, Naomi Osaka won a second tournament on the spin as she fought back from a set down to defeat world number one Ashleigh Barty. The Japanese two-time Grand Slam champion emerged victorious after 110 minutes in chilly Beijing, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. On Saturday, after defeating holder Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals, the 21-year-old called her own serve "confusing". And so it was in the sixth game when Osaka conjured up a double fault, then an ace, then another double fault against Australia's Barty. Barty, 23, who had strapping down her left calf, wrapped up the first set in 34 minutes and frustration was creeping in for the Australian Open champion Osaka. But much of the crowd in Beijing was pro-Osaka and they were cheering when she broke Barty to move 4-2 up on the way to winning the second set. The world number four, victorious in her home Pan Pacific Open last month, was broken when she planted a forehand into the net. Osaka was in control now and broke Barty in the first game of the deciding set on the way to victory. This was a third title of 2019 for Osaka and fifth in her short career. (Hold) Now let’s listen in what Osaka said after victory.