Jannik Sinner beats Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2 in first round of China Open
Takes just one hour and 22 minutes to coast to victory
Top seed will meet French qualifier Terence Atmane next
Jannik Sinner made light work of Marin Cilic in his first ATP Tour match since losing the US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, winning 6-2 6-2 in the first round of the China Open.
Sinner needed one hour and 22 minutes to ease into the second round in Beijing, where he will meet French qualifier Terence Atmane next.
The Italian is the top seed for the tournament, with Alexander Zverev headlining the other side of the draw and Alex de Minaur a potential semi-final opponent.
Sinner failed to capitalise on a break point in the opening game of the first set, but he made no mistake in games five and seven, twice getting the better of Cilic's serve.
Sinner, who did not give up a single break point in the opener, constantly preyed on Cilic's second serve, winning nine of 13 second-serve return points in the set.
Back-to-back breaks for Sinner in games three and five made the second set resemble a procession, though Cilic saved two match points at 5-1 down before generating a break point of his own in the next game.
However, Sinner – who is now second in the world rankings behind Alcaraz – dusted himself down to reel off three straight points and book his place in round two.
Data Debrief: Sinner slays another major winner
Sinner's victory over Cilic, who won his lone grand slam singles title at the 2014 US Open, was his 24th over a former major champion.
He now boasts the most such victories since the start of the 2020 season, surpassing Alcaraz's tally of 23 in that time.
