Dominic Thiem fends off Stefanos Tsitsipas to capture Beijing trophy

In his first ATP event since bowing out in the US Open first round, Dominic Thiem captured the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, rallying from a set down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Thiem now leads 4-2 in their head-to-head series.

“Honestly, I think this was one of the best matches I've played so far in my whole career,” Thiem said. “I know it's tough for you, Stefanos, but you played amazing and I really hope that we have lots of more finals coming in the biggest tournaments around the world. It was our first one, and really, last year we had a great rivalry going on. So I really hope this rivalry continues.”

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It’s the top seed’s fourth title of the season, having won the biggest title of his career in Indian Wells in March, Barcelona in April, and on home soil in Kitzbuhel in August.

On Saturday, following his semifinal win over Karen Khachanov, Thiem qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals to become the fifth player to earn the coveted spot at the 2019 year-end championships.

"For me personally, it was one big goal when I started the season,” said Thiem. “I'm very, very happy that I made it again. But it's not because of today's win, it's because of all the season. It's a big honor for me to again be a part of [such a] big event in London. It also shows that I [have] played another very good and consistent season. I'm looking forward to it a lot.”

Stefanos—who was into his first final since losing to Novak Djokovic in Madrid—was bidding for his third title of the year.