BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Jannik Sinner booked his third consecutive China Open final on Tuesday, defeating Australia's Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in their semifinal clash on Diamond Court.

The top seed extended his head-to-head dominance to 11-0, with De Minaur's only progression in 11 previous meetings coming via Sinner's pre-match withdrawal at the 2023 Paris Masters.

Sinner secured the opening set with a break at 4-2 and saved two break points in the following game before serving it out 6-3. De Minaur responded in the second, grinding through a long sixth game and breaking late to take it 6-4, ending a nine-match streak without winning a set against the Italian.

But the world No. 2 reasserted control in the decider, breaking twice for a 4-0 lead with a mix of baseline power and touch at the net. De Minaur held once to avoid a shutout, but Sinner closed the match with a strong final service game, firing an ace and forcing two errors to seal victory after two hours and 20 minutes.

The 24-year-old has now reached the Beijing final in three consecutive editions. He captured the 2023 title by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and Daniil Medvedev in the final, before finishing runner-up to Alcaraz last year.

Sinner will face either Medvedev or 19-year-old American Learner Tien, who were scheduled to play the second semifinal later on Tuesday. Enditem