Jannik Sinner is through to the next round of the Shanghai Masters after coming from a set down to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2.
The world number one’s rival, Carlos Alcaraz, also made it through to the next round of the event thanks to a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory against Yibing Wu.
Sinner, aiming for a seventh major title in 2024, held his serve in an 11-minute sixth game to go 4-2 up in the deciding set of his match, before winning the next two games to close out the win in two hours and 38 minutes.
“It got stressful because if I lose the game at 3-2 and he makes the break then we are back even,” said the Italian. “Sometimes you have to wait for your chances, which I have done, while trying to stay calm mentally. Today that was the key.”
READ: Coco Gauff Eases to China Open Title
But there is still the issue with the World Anti-Doping Agency as fights to clear his name from blame after testing positive for a banned substance two times.
He failed to take two break points when leading 6-5 in the first set before his Argentine opponent, who was impressing with his big serving and powerful game, won the tie-break.
Sinner took the fifth game of the second on Etcheverry’s serve with a fizzing forehand down the line, only for the world number 37 to respond by breaking straight back with an equally fine crosscourt forehand.
Meanwhile, world number two Alcaraz was playing China’s Wu, who was strongly backed by the crowd and pushed the Spaniard to a tie-break in the first set which Alcaraz dug deep to win before wrapping up the win with a bit less difficulty in the second set.
Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev also made it through, coming from a set down to book a place in the next round with a 5-7 6-4 6-4 victory against Matteo Arnaldi in two hours and 44 minutes.
Medvedev achieved the decisive break in the ninth game of the deciding set before going on to serve out for the match and will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller in the last 16 in Shanghai.