Beijing, Sep 26 (IANS) Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, and Jakub Mensik, all three in the race to make it to the season finale, strengthened their hopes of qualifying for the season-ender with crucial wins at the China Open in Beijing on Friday.

De Minaur consolidated his position at eighth in the ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating home favourite Buyunchaokete; #NextGenATP star Czech Jakub Mensik moved up to 18th in the Live Race with a win over Miomir Kecmanovic, while Zverev sealed his spot in the second round by dismissing Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets.

Third seed Alex de Minaur of Australia eased into the second round with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over China’s Bu Yunchaokete at the Diamond Court of the National Tennis Centre. With a Tour-leading 32 wins on hard courts this season, the Australian is aiming to make his second appearance at the ATP Finals, having made his debut in 2024.

De Minaur seized the opening set after an early break in the fifth game. The world No. 8 held firm under pressure in the 10th, blasting an ace at 30-all and drawing an error from Bu on set point to close it out 6-4.

The 26-year-old Australian raised his level in the second set, racing through six straight games to seal the win. De Minaur fired 10 aces in total, double that of Bu, and faced only one break point throughout the match, which he successfully saved.

“I knew I had to bring it from the very first point, and ultimately the goal is to just keep on bringing the energy,” said De Minaur. “The goal is to finish the year strong because I want to prioritise Turin. A lot of recovery, a lot of hours doing the right thing has allowed me to put up a good performance today.”

The clash marked their third meeting of the year, with De Minaur also winning their encounters in Miami and Washington. Bu, currently ranked world No. 89, is the highest-ranked Chinese man in the singles. “I didn’t feel any physical discomfort, but after losing the first game, my emotions got unstable,” Bu said. “I couldn’t find the right way to adjust, and that led to a big drop in my level.”

Reflecting on the overall contest, the 23-year-old said he could accept his performance in the opening set but was disappointed by his inability to control his emotions later.

“The first set I had some chances and played under pressure, which I can accept,” Bu said. “In the second set, my opponent raised his level and I didn’t handle the pressure well, so my game went down quickly.”

Next for De Minaur is France’s Arthur Rinderknech, who beat David Goffin in straight sets. The Australian has enjoyed a strong season, lifting the title at the Washington Open and reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open. He also has his sights set on qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

Mensik moved up to 18th in the Live Race with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Miomir Kecmanovic. While he remains 1,115 points adrift of De Minaur in the qualification spots, the 20-year-old will be hopeful of his chances as the ATP Tour season comes to a close on hard courts.

Mensik set a second-round meeting with qualifier Arthur Cazaux, who rallied past home wild card Shang Juncheng 0-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in the pair’s first ATP head-to-head clash.

Zverev sealed his spot in the second round by dismissing Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-3 and improving to 6-0 in their ATP head-to-head series. The two-time ATP Finals champion, who is up to third in the Live Race, has reached the Beijing semifinals in three of his past four main-draw appearances.

He will next face Corentin Moutet, who backed up his semifinal run in Hangzhou by moving past Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5. The unpredictable Frenchman is competing at a career-high No. 37 in the ATP Rankings and has notched 26 tour-level wins this year — two shy of doubling his previous best tally of 14 wins from 2022.

After lifting his fourth trophy of the season in Hangzhou last week, Alexander Bublik rose three spots to 12th in the ATP Live Race To Turin. However, he was unable to capitalise on his run of form in his opener in Beijing, where he fell to Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2.

–IANS

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