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• Sinner found matters 'mentally tough' against Safiullin

  Jannik Sinner found it "mentally tough" to come from behind and defeat Roman Safiullin at the China Open.

  Sinner forged a second straight comeback to prevail 3-6 6-2 6-3 on Saturday.

  The world number one, who equalled Alexander Zverev by picking up his 57th win of 2024, ensured he kept up his run of reaching at least the quarter-finals in every ATP Tour-level tournament he has reached this season.

  But he certainly did not find it easy against the world number 69.

  "A tough match. He’s an incredible player and we always have tough battles," said Sinner. 

  "This was our third encounter, so we know each other a bit. He returns very well, and he was serving well at important moments. So I tried to keep up mentally, which today was very tough.

  "Especially on these kinds of days, when maybe you don’t feel at your 100%, to find a way through means so much to me.

  "He's an incredible player, so I knew I had to raise my level when it counted."

  While Sinner was on court, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it would be appealing against the decision to clear the Italian of blame after he twice tested positive for a banned substance.

  WADA claimed last month's ruling, which was made by an independent tribunal, which found Sinner had no case to answer was "not correct", and the organisation has now appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a ban of between one and two years for the 23-year-old.

  Sinner "Obviously I'm very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me.

  "I knew it a couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it's going to go official."

• Sabalenka closes in on win-streak record after China Open triumph

  Aryna Sabalenka moved to within two wins of equalling the best winning run of her career after crushing qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew at the China Open.

  In her first appearance since her US Open triumph, the top seed overcame a slow start in Beijing to win 6-4 6-1 in an hour and 16 minutes against her Thai opponent. 

  Sawangkaew did not make life easy for the Belarusian in the opener, breaking back to level the contest heading into the ninth game before Sabalenka took control. 

  The world number two then clicked into gear, winning five games in a row in the second set to roar to a 13th straight victory, though she acknowledged the difficulties she faced on Saturday.

  "She's playing great tennis. The first set she played incredible tennis. It was really difficult playing against her," Sabalenka said. 

  "Especially on this surface in these conditions. I'm happy I was able to manage that set. In the second set, everything started coming together.

  "Thank you so much for the support. It’s really amazing to be back here. I'm happy with this win."

  Sabalenka will face Ashlyn Krueger in the next round after the American beat Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lulu Sun in straight sets. 

  Data Debrief: Sabalenka continues China love story

  Sabalenka has won 18 of her first 21 matches in WTA-1000 tournaments in China, the most of any player since the format's introduction in 2009.

  Since Tianjin 2017, when she made her debut at a tournament in China, no women's player has won more matches at WTA events in this country than Sabalenka (38).

• Gauff sees off Burel on return in China

  Coco Gauff prevailed in her opening match at the China Open, beating Clara Burel in straight sets on Friday to reach the third round.

  Playing in her first match since her US Open fourth-round exit, Gauff held off the Frenchwoman's challenge, winning 7-5 6-3 in 102 minutes.

  The pair traded breaks early in the contest before Burel pulled in front and looked sure to take the first set.

  Gauff pushed back though, saving a set point at 5-4 before eventually edging in front with her fourth break of the set.

  It was slightly more straightforward in the second, with Gauff's patience eventually rewarded as a three-game winning streak at the end of the match sealed the victory, setting up a meeting with Katie Boulter in the next round. 

  Data Debrief: Hard court advantage

  With this victory, Gauff has now won 46 matches at WTA-1000 hard-court events, equalling Caroline Wozniacki for the most such wins before turning 21 since the format was introduced in 2009 (46).

  It also marks Gauff's 30th straight win over a player ranked outside the top 50, with her last such defeat coming 15 months ago in the first round of Wimbledon 2023 against Sofia Kenin.