De Minaur reaches Beijing semis after Mensik retires, to face Sinner

Alex de Minaur advanced to the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing on Monday after his quarterfinal opponent, Jakub Mensik, retired with a knee problem while trailing 4-1. The world No.8 moved through after a brief 29-minute contest in which he committed just one unforced error, and he now faces world No.2 Jannik Sinner for a place in the final.

De Minaur reached the last eight following earlier wins in Beijing, defeating wildcard Bu Yunchaokete 6-4, 6-0 in his opening match and edging Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in a three-set second-round contest. His progress in Beijing comes amid a busy stretch of the season that has included deep Grand Slam runs, team competition and recent tour events. The Australian has been one of the leading performers on hard courts this year, extending a season-leading total of hardcourt victories that sits at the top of the ATP standings.

Mensik, 20, had enjoyed a strong week in Beijing with wins over Miomir Kecmanovic and Arthur Cazaux before the quarterfinal. He posted on X after the match: "I gave my best today, but unfortunately wasn't able to perform at 100. The past days and weeks have been very demanding, and my body especially my...