Top-ranked Jannik Sinner on Monday overcame the controversy surrounding his doping case to secure a spot in the Beijing semifinals alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. The defending champion will face either Andrey Rublev or Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete after a hard-fought 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Jiri Lehecka, extending his winning streak to 14 matches. The 23-year-old has been under scrutiny since the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Saturday that it is seeking a two-year ban after he tested positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March. The International Tennis Integrity Agency cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing in August, allowing him to continue playing, and he went on to win the US Open for his second major title. The ITIA accepted Sinner's explanation that the drug entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, followed by massage and sports therapy. WADA has appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
On the court, the world number one bounced back from losing the first set in his first two matches in Beijing to make a strong start against the 37th-ranked Lehecka from the Czech Republic. Sinner dominated the first set of their quarterfinal but faced a tougher challenge in the second, with both players exchanging powerful groundstrokes. The match went to a tie break, where Sinner saved two set points to secure his victory. Alcaraz and Medvedev, the second and third seeds respectively, will meet in the other semifinal.
