BEIJING (AP) — Top seed Jannik Sinner advanced to the semifinals of the China Open on Monday with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory over Jiri Lehecka.

Just two days after the World Anti-Doping Agency’s announcement a ban was sought from one to two years for the US Open championwho tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, the 23-year-old Italian did not appear to be distracted as he quickly got to grips with the 37th-ranked Lehecka’s serve in a dominant first set.

The defending champion was down two set points at 4-6 in the second-set tiebreak, but found a way to complete his 14th straight victory and advance to the semifinals against either fifth-seeded Andrey Rubev or local favorite No. 96 ranked Bu to draft Yunchaokete, who plays later on Monday.

“So happy with how I handled a difficult situation,” Sinner said. “I feel like I can still improve a few things here. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day I feel better on the pitch.”

Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals for the second year in a row after an impressive 7-5, 6-2 win over Karen Khachanov.

The 21-year-old Spaniard was typically relentless from the baseline, crushing 27th-seeded Khachanov’s serve games and converting four of 12 service break opportunities to win in 96 minutes.

“I always try to apply a little pressure when they’re pitching, just to tell them in a certain way that I’m going to be there,” Alcaraz said. “If they want to win the service game or beat me, they have to accept the fight and play really good tennis. For me, that’s what I’m constantly trying to show them.”

It was Alcaraz’s 46th win of the season and enabled the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion to climb back up to second place in the ATP live rankings over the absent Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the fifth-seeded Russian defeated Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

Medvedev, still hoping for his first title of the year, made 16 fewer unforced errors than the Italian and converted four of his eight break point chances, completing a solid 88-minute win.

Sabalenka extends winning streak

Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant hardcourt season showed no signs of slowing down as she recorded her 14th straight victory with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ashlyn Krueger.

The three-time Grand Slam champion began her winning streak with a title in August in Cincinnati and continued her run to the championship at the US Open earlier this month. She also won the Australian Open At the beginning of the year.

Second-seeded Sabalenka converted five of her seven break point chances in a one-sided battle against Krueger and will next face Madison Keys hoping to match her best 15 consecutive wins from the 2020-21 season.

“Well, maybe I’m not playing my best tennis right now,” Sabalenka said. “But I think the way I control my emotions and behave sometimes really helps me stay in most matches, keep fighting in those difficult situations and keep playing my best tennis.”

Keys won 6:3, 6:3 against Beatrice Haddad Maia of Brazil. Haddad Maia won the Korea Open last week, but struggled to combat Keys’ baseline strength.

Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka continued her positive start under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Katie Volynets and moved into the round of 16 against sixth-seeded Coco Gauff.

It will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam champions in more than two years, the direct series is tied 2-2.

“This will be a really cool test for me,” Osaka said. “She played really well this year. I’m excited to play the game and I know people are excited to watch the game.”

The four-time major winner switched to Mouratoglou shortly before the China Open after the separation from Wim Fisette. Their run here so far is the first time since May that Osaka has picked up three wins in a row.

Fifth-placed Jasmine Paolini had an unforgettable day when she lost 6-4, 6-0 to 45th-placed Pole Magda Linette.

Japan Open

Ugo Humbert overcame a mid-game surge from Tomas Machac to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and move into the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo.

The 19th-ranked Frenchman will look to improve on his perfect 6-0 record in Tour finals when he plays compatriot Arthur Fils on Tuesday.

Fils, ranked 24th, defeated sixth seed Holger Rune of Denmark 7-6 (8), 7-6 (10) in the semifinals.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis