BEIJING - Italy's Jannik Sinner advanced to his third consecutive China Open final on Tuesday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Australia's Alex de Minaur. Later, American teenager Learner Tien reached his first career tour-level final in Beijing after Daniil Medvedev retired injured from their semifinal.

The top-seeded Sinner, 24, extended his dominance over De Minaur, improving his head-to-head record to 11-0. The world No 2 dropped a set to the 26-year-old Australian for the first time since 2020.

"It's obviously great to be again in a final. It's a special place to be," Sinner said in his post-match news conference. "Every year is different. I'm very happy, and let's see what's coming tomorrow."

Sinner seized control early, breaking in the sixth game to move ahead 4-2. He then held off two break points in the following game before serving out the opening set.

De Minaur, the world No 8, responded with characteristic grit. In a grueling second set, he saved multiple break points before finally converting his chance late in the 10th game to take it 6-4, ending a nine-match streak without winning a set against the Italian.

The deciding set, however, belonged firmly to Sinner. He broke immediately for a 2-0 lead, then held a marathon service game after saving three break points to consolidate his lead. Another break followed as he surged to a 4-0 lead, mixing baseline power with deft touches at the net.

De Minaur managed to hold serve once to avoid a shutout, but Sinner closed the match with a strong final service game, firing an ace and forcing two errors to secure the victory after 2 hours and 20 minutes.

"It was a key moment in the third set. When you break and hold serve, it's good," said Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam winner. "Then I tried to stay a bit more aggressive, which worked very well. He was playing great tennis, very physical. All things considered, I'm very happy about today's level and match."

With the win, Sinner reached the Beijing final for the third straight year. He lifted the trophy in 2023 and was the runner-up in 2024.

In the day's second men's semifinal, 19-year-old Tien continued his breakthrough run, advancing when Medvedev retired early in the third set while trailing 5-7, 7-5, 4-0.

Medvedev, 29, had appeared in control early, recovering from a 3-0 deficit to edge the opening set. But Tien, ranked 52nd, showed remarkable resilience. After falling behind 3-0 in the second set, the teenager broke back and then struck again at 5-5 before holding serve to level the match.

Medvedev requested a medical timeout after the set and returned with visible discomfort. Limping between points, he was broken twice as Tien surged ahead 4-0. With his movement severely hampered, the 2021 US Open champion retired, leaving the court to warm applause from the Beijing crowd.

"It's not the way you want to end a match," Tien said in his on-court interview. "I definitely wish Daniil a speedy recovery. At the same time, I'm really happy to be in my first final, and to do it here in Beijing makes it even more special."

As he left Diamond Court, Tien wrote "Get better soon, Daniil" on the camera lens, a gesture underscoring his respect for his opponent.

The American has advanced to the final following back-to-back retirements; Lorenzo Musetti pulled out in the third set of their quarterfinal clash Monday.

Earlier this year, Tien announced himself on the world stage by coming through qualifying to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open, defeating Medvedev in a five-set thriller in the second round.

In the women's draw, second seed Coco Gauff came from a set down to defeat Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals.

Bencic, the 15th seed and Tokyo Olympic champion, broke late in the first set to win it 6-4. The Swiss capitalized on an untimely lapse from Gauff in the ninth game before holding serve to take the opener.

The second set was tightly contested, with both players trading breaks before Gauff forced a tiebreak. Bencic showed her frustration after being broken midway through the set, smashing her racket and later complaining to the chair umpire about noise from Gauff's team box. Gauff kept her composure and edged the tiebreak 7-4 to level the match.

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"I knew she said something to my team, but I didn't hear it myself," Gauff said. "They told me she said, 'Shut up.' I didn't like that comment, but I just told myself I had to move on. Honestly, it made me want to win even more."

The defending champion raced ahead in the decider, breaking twice to lead 5-1 before sealing the victory on her serve. It was their sixth career meeting, with Gauff extending her head-to-head advantage to 4-2.

"It was a tough match, but I'm happy with how I fought today," the two-time Grand Slam winner said. "I think sometimes I can actually play a little better when I'm annoyed, not at myself but at something else. That helped me buckle down after losing the first set."

Already qualified for her fourth straight WTA Finals, Gauff will next face Germany's Eva Lys, who rallied past American McCartney Kessler 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.