Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Sinner begins Beijing title quest

It's been another impressive season for Sinner - he's added two more Grand Slams to his trophy cabinet and won 37 of 42 matches. However, there's still some underlying disappointment - he's relinquished the No. 1 ranking to main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he's lost more heartbreaking matches to in the Roland Garros and US Open finals. All up, Sinner has now lost 10 of the 15 meetings between the pair, highlighting his need for improvement in that particular matchup.

The pair squared off in last year's Beijing final, with Alcaraz edging it in a deciding set tiebreak. There won't be a rematch this time, with Alcaraz opting to compete in Tokyo this week. As a result, Sinner is almost the unbackable favourite for a second China Open title after taking home the silverware in 2023. The Italian should be untroubled in his opening round - Cilic is well into the twilight of his career and hasn't shown any sign of a random resurgence here after losing in the first round of his own Hangzhou title defence last week. Backing Sinner to cover a -6.5 games line in victory.

Sinner leads 1-0, but this will be their first meeting since 2021, where the Italian was a winner in three sets in Davis Cup.

Sinner heads into this showdown with a 37-5 record on the season, with his two titles coming at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Of course, Sinner missed around four months of action due to suspension earlier in the season, so it really shouldn't come as no surprise that he eventually lost the No. 1 ranking to Alcaraz.

The Italian continues to dominate everyone on tour apart from Alcaraz - four of his five defeats in 2025 have come against the Spaniard, with the other a surprise loss to Alexander Bublik on the grass of Halle.

It was a disappointing summer in North America for Sinner - he was forced to retire in the Cincinnati final due to illness and was completely outplayed by Alcaraz in the US Open final.

Deciding to skip the Laver Cup, Sinner makes his return to tennis at the China Open this week - he has a 9-1 record in Beijing, winning the 2023 title and making the final last year.

Unsurprisingly, it's been a quiet season for Cilic, who has posted a 5-9 record at tour-level and comes into this event at No. 97 in the world.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a resurgence in Asia last year when he stormed to the Hangzhou title, which lifted his ranking from outside the top 1000 into the top 400.

Cilic has battled his way back into the top 100 this season by winning a couple of Challenger titles, while his best result at tour-level came with an impressive fourth round showing at Wimbledon, where he defeated Jack Draper along the way.

The Croatian went down in the opening round of the US Open to Alexander Bublik. Cilic has ample experience in Beijing, registering a 13-6 record at the tournament throughout his career, highlighted runner-up appearances in 2009 and 2011.