Doug Williams was in the process of watching video of Jayden Daniels – who else? – earlier this week when he took a break to share some quarterback-on-quarterback insight. 

The legend on the phenom. This promises to be good stuff. 

“He’s always poised. He’s always thinking,” Williams told USA TODAY Sports. “When you watch him, you know his mind is moving. He’s never under pressure, mentally. Even if he misses a guy, he finds a way to get some positive yards with his legs. But he doesn’t just use his legs to run. When you see him come out of the pocket, I can promise you he’s looking downfield. He’s just composed, man. 

“It’s hard to imagine this with a young guy with four starts under his belt…It’s almost like he’s been here before.” 

With Daniels heading into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns as one of the NFL’s most remarkable storylines from the first month of the season – he’s ignited the Washington Commanders (3-1) to three consecutive victories in spectacular fashion, posted the highest completion rate (82.1%) during any four-game stretch for an NFL quarterback since at least 1950 (minimum 100 passes) and put himself in the pole position for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors – Williams sounds as upbeat about this development as the most rabid D.C. football fan. 

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Yes, ‘PTI’ Tony, the bandwagon, driven by Daniels, is filling up again. Lord knows, this battered franchise – which dropped its racist team name in 2020 – needed Daniels to come along to lead the makeover for a new era. 

Yet for Williams, 69, who made history in 1988 as the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, it is deeper than that. That’s why he sounds like a proud uncle, too. 

“It means a lot to me because of where we come from,” said Williams, the Super Bowl XXII MVP. “You hate to say it’s because he’s a young, African-American man, but to see him doing what he’s doing because of yesteryear, to be in the same building, watching him every day, to me, that’s a plus, man. It does my heart great just to be here.” 

Williams need not explain anything about his cultural pride for Daniels. Sure, roughly half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL are African-American. But during Williams’ heyday, there were barely any. When Warren Moon came into the NFL in 1984 with the Houston Oilers, he was the league’s only Black quarterback. Williams, at that time, toiled in the USFL. And when Williams landed on the big Super Bowl stage, his race was cast as the biggest storyline.  

And let’s not forget that way before Williams, Washington was the last NFL franchise to break the so-called color line and have a Black player. 

Think Daniels has tapped Williams as a walking resource to learn about such history? Not quite. 

“He hasn’t,” Williams said, “but you know what I believe? He hasn’t said it with his words, but he’s shown it with his actions.”  

During pregame warmups at Arizona on Sunday, Daniels threw the football around as he wore a T-shirt emblazed with Williams’ image. It was another example of how the 23-year-old pays homage to the in-house legend. Before his preseason debut in August, Daniels strolled into MetLife Stadium rocking a No. 17 Williams throwback jersey. 

“He has shown so much respect to me,” Williams said. “It warms my heart. There’s no way I can’t give it back to him.” 

During the final minute of the 42-14 blowout at Arizona (in which Daniels passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 47 yards and a score), Williams embraced the young quarterback on the sideline and whispered an encouraging message in his ear. 

It was a classic image that was made for TV, history books and for, well, going viral on the Internet. My USA TODAY colleague, Mike Freeman, tweeted it out, with this suggestion: “Put this in the Louvre.” 

The symbolism is striking, but for Williams and Daniels, it’s personal. After all, Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, was one of the dozens of people who texted Williams the image of the viral moment with her son. 

“You know what it is? I’ve known Jayden for a while,” Williams said of the sideline snapshot. “It’s just a carryover of respect, from a standpoint of what he’s given me and what I’ve given him. It’s good to be in the same building with a young guy like Jayden, who don’t have no diva in him. You know what I mean? 

“For me, I’m just a guy that he can lean on and talk to – not about football, because he’s got a bunch of coaches. I don’t talk to him about that. I just tell him to keep doing what he’s doing.” 

Williams and Daniels met in 2018. Daniels was at Arizona State (where he played for three seasons before transferring to LSU and winning the Heisman Trophy) and attended a panel discussion about the history of Black quarterbacks. Williams was joined on that panel by James “Shack” Harris and Marlin Briscoe, who in 1968 became the first Black starting quarterback in modern pro football. 

“Who’d ever thought back then that I’d be in the same building with this young man every single day?” Williams said. “I wouldn’t have.” 

Interestingly, Washington’s new regime, headed by coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, brought Williams back into the fold in the football operations this year after he was pushed aside by the previous regime headed by Ron Rivera. Williams kept a job but was relegated to non-football projects while working under team president Jason Wright. Years ago, when Bruce Allen served as GM, Williams had a significant role in the personnel department. 

He’s elated to be back on the football side, officially as the senior advisor to the general manager. He said from the moment Quinn became the new coach, the vibe changed. 

“It wasn’t somebody threatened by whoever’s in the building, compared to the last regime,” Williams said, undoubtedly taking a shot at Rivera. “That’s how Dan, the ownership (headed by Josh Harris) and Adam looked at it: Why not have Doug around here?” 

In his new role, Williams breaks down video to analyze personnel, meeting regularly with Peters and assistant GM Martin Mayhew to share his insights. He’s not involved deeply with the coaching but raves about the versatility that offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has employed in calling the game plans to support Daniels. Quinn, he added, has done much to keep the hoopla in check. 

“He lets everybody know: We ain’t made it yet,” Williams said. 

Williams knows. Football seasons – and careers – have their twists and turns. He’s encouraged that the rookie has his head on straight and has exhibited a tremendous work ethic. He’s also won over teammates and, well, balled out. 

“He’s been incredible,” Williams said. “You’re reluctant to crown him, but you can’t help but notice what has transpired over the last four weeks. I think he realizes it, too. That’s the good part about it.” 

Given where Washington’s franchise has been and what Daniels could represent, the expectations for this new chapter are obviously enormous. It figures that Williams can help the rookie deal with it. 

“It’s early,” he said. “You don’t want to put no pressure on the kid. You want him to play football. You don’t even want to bring it to his attention. You don’t even want to talk about it. We’ve still got a long way to go. 

“The fans are excited, and they’ve got a reason to be excited. But if you work in the football office here, that’s what you try to protect against.” 

Which is clearly a good problem for the Commanders to have about now. 

Lionel Messi will play at least two more games with Argentina, the reigning World Cup champion and two-time Copa America champion, later this month.

Messi was officially called up by Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni and listed Wednesday on the national team roster for the World Cup 2026 qualifying matches.

Argentina will play Venezuela on the road at Estadio Monumental de Maturín in Maturín, Venezuela Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. ET. Then, Argentina will host Bolivia at Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET.

The announcement comes as Messi and his MLS club, Inter Miami, prepare to play reigning champion Columbus Crew for a chance to win the MLS Supporters’ Shield on Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

While Argentina beat Chile 3-0 on Sept. 6, they fell 2-1 to Colombia Sept. 10 in what was a rematch of the Copa America final. It was just the fourth loss by Argentina in its last 65 matches, joining losses to Brazil in the Copa America 2019 semifinal, to Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup opener and to Uruguay in World Cup 2026 qualifying last November.

Argentina will have two more matches during another FIFA window in November, sandwiched between the first round and conference semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

It certainly begs the question: Could Messi play for Argentina during Inter Miami’s MLS Cup run? That’s a bridge all parties involved will address next month. For now, the hope across the board is Messi remains healthy.

After Inter Miami plays Columbus, the team will travel to face Toronto FC on Saturday. It will be Messi’s second match in Canada and the second-to-last match of the MLS regular season.

The Argentine national team is expected to train at Inter Miami’s facilities before the Venezuela match, like they did before Copa America began earlier this summer, so Messi won’t have to travel far to join his teammates.

Inter Miami’s MLS regular season ends Oct. 19 with a home match against New England Revolution.

1. Lane Kiffin: There’s no stopping the what-if train

So here we are, in a sport that refuses to live in the now because the future is so undeniably delicious, and the Lane Kiffin to Florida dating game has officially begun.

Lane and Florida sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes a firing, then comes a hiring, then comes Kiffin …

“All of a sudden, our program isn’t terrible,” Kiffin said last weekend in defense of his Ole Miss team after the then-Top 10 Rebels lost at home to Kentucky as a double-digit favorite ― and kicked off the inevitable Florida and Kiffin chase.

Deny it all you want, everyone. This shotgun marriage now has momentum.

Before we go further, Kiffin is absolutely right. The idea that Ole Miss is a fraud, or got exposed or can’t win a big game because of one bad Saturday is wildly shortsighted.

But there’s no chance that’s stopping this train of what-if. If anything, it enhanced it.

It’s all about timing now, and how one more Ole Miss loss sets everything in motion.

The Florida program, once a beacon for all things opulence and arrogance, is a shadow of its former championship self. Gators coach Billy Napier is another discombobulated, dysfunctional loss away from getting tossed on the scrap heap of Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen.

It’s the worst kept secret in college football.

Florida, with every possible advantage to win big, hasn’t done it since Urban Meyer arrived in Gainesville nearly two decades ago and road roughshod over college football with a six-year iron fist that was equal parts remarkable and repulsive.

Then there’s Kiffin, whose coaching career began in 2009 at Tennessee just as Meyer’s run at Florida – and the Gators’ perch on the top of the college football mountain – was starting to fade.

Kiffin began his one-year run at Tennessee by accusing Meyer of NCAA recruiting violations, and then committed multiple violations himself over an 11-month span as the Vols coach before leaving for his dream job at Southern California.

If ever a coach and a program were destined for each other, this is it.

2. Florida’s coaching folly

Let’s dissect Florida’s coaching hires since Meyer skulked out of town after the 2010 season, shall we?

Muschamp: Elite defensive coach and recruiter, couldn’t find/develop a quarterback.

McElwain: Nick Saban assistant, and an expert fisherman.

Mullen: Elite offensive mind, disinterested recruiter.

Meanwhile, the program fell behind in the facilities arms race, and waited a decade before getting serious about spending money because Steve Spurrier and Meyer won national titles without bells and whistles, why can’t everyone else?

Then Napier arrived and was given everything he could possibly want. A new $60 million football facility, and a support staff of 40-plus covering every possible contingency – except the one that mattered most.

What if Napier wasn’t ready for the job?

Now it’s time to hire a true ball coach. One with a track record of recruiting and developing players, who will work the talent-rich state of Florida and organically build a roster into a championship-level team.

Forget what you’ve heard about Kiffin from years past. He made mistakes, who doesn’t?

He’s not the carnival barker at Tennessee, or the overwhelmed coach in an untenable situation following Pete Carroll at USC (without 30 scholarships because of NCAA sanctions), or even the unpredictable yet brilliant offensive mind Saban tolerated at Alabama.

He has become a legit ball coach, in every facet of the position.

He has double-digit win seasons (plural) at Ole Miss, including a school-record 11 victories in 2023. He’s as good a quarterback coach/developer and play caller as there is in the game.

Now imagine him recruiting in the state of Florida. Or better yet, coaching Gators talented freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.

3. Chasing Kiffin, The Epilogue

The Kentucky loss isn’t a deal-breaker for the Ole Miss season, but it brings Kffin and the Rebels one loss closer to missing the College Football Playoff. That’s the key to this potential Florida and Kiffin marriage.

Timing is everything.

If Ole Miss is in the playoff, it will be difficult for Kiffin to walk away – and for Florida to wait. If Ole Miss doesn’t advance to the CFP, Florida can hire him the day after the field is set.

We can debate about whether Florida will pay what it takes to get Kiffin (likely $11-12 million a year), and if it’s serious about escaping the college football hinterlands and avoiding the SEC freefall to the depths of Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

But there is no debate about job value.

Kiffin’s own success at Ole Miss has moved expectations to the level of Florida. In other words, no matter where he coaches, the bar is the CFP and winning it all.

He could coach Ole Miss, and annually rummage through the transfer portal and hope to hit more times than not. Or he could leave for Florida, and recruit and develop from one of the three most talent-rich states for high school football – and add a few impact players from the portal.

Deny it all you want, the fuse has been lit on this looming shotgun marriage.

It’s only a matter of timing.

4. The Big 12: It’s not just Coach Prime

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Big 12. Left for dead when Texas and Oklahoma escaped for the SEC, the reshuffled deck suddenly looks mighty appealing.  

Brigham Young and Iowa State are unbeaten after the first month of the season, and are two of four ranked Big 12 teams (Kansas State and Utah). Meanwhile, there’s the ACC – the other Power Four conference helplessly swirling in the wake of the SEC and Big Ten – making more noise battling its two most important television properties (Florida State, Clemson) in court.

The Big 12, in full desperation mode during conference expansion (and contraction), will play four games with playoff significance over the next two months between the top five teams in the conference: BYU at Utah, Iowa State at Utah, Kansas State at Iowa State, and Texas Tech at Iowa State.   

Those games don’t include Colorado and Arizona, who have two of the best quarterbacks (Shedeur Sanders, Noah Fafita) and wideouts (Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan) in the nation, and will be a problem for everyone.

Colorado still has games against K-State, at Texas Tech and Utah, and Arizona plays Texas Tech and at BYU.

The Big 12 may not have major television properties, but its games over the final two months of the regular season will be better than anything the ACC can produce.    

5. The Weekly Five

The top five transfer portal quarterback performances after the first month of the season:

1. Cam Ward, Miami (Washington State): 1,782 yards, 18 TD, 4 INT.

2. Kyle McCord, Syracuse (Ohio State): 1,459 yards, 14 TD, 5 INT.

3. Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh (Alabama): 1,186 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INT.

4. Brandon Sorsby, Cincinnati (Indiana): 1,481 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT.

5. Tyler Shough, Louisville (Texas Tech): 1,114 yards, 11 TD, 1 INT.

6. An NFL scout’s take: Kentucky DT Deone Walker

An NFL scout analyzes a draft eligible player. The scout requested anonymity to protect the team’s draft preparation.

“A giant of a man (6-feet-6, 350 pounds). The sheer power and ability to command double teams and wreck an interior. He’s not a slogger in there. He has an explosive first step, and his hands are heavy and active. He has edge moves; the spin he uses is devastating. A legitimate pass rusher from the interior. He could be the first interior defensive lineman picked.”   

7. Power Play: Alabama back on top

This week’s College Football Playoff Power Poll – including the first four out – and one big thing.

1. Alabama: The first half against Georgia was as good a 30-minute stretch as Alabama ever played under Saban.  

2. Ohio State: At least we’ll see the Buckeyes’ offense forced to work this week against Iowa’s stout defense.

3. Miami: A critical step for a growing team: finding a way to win a game you shouldn’t.

4. BYU: At some point, the inability to consistently run the ball (against a more difficult schedule) will be a problem.

5. Georgia: The comeback from 30-7 was crazy impressive, and may have set the tone for the rest of the season.

6. Texas: Open week gives QB Quinn Ewers better chance of playing vs. Oklahoma.

7. Tennessee: Can Vols stay focused against Arkansas and Florida to set up huge home game vs. Alabama on Oct. 19?

8. Penn State: Lions need more from QB Drew Allar in big games.

9. Missouri: Want to prove your CFP worth? Roll into College Station and beat a hot Aggies team.

10. Oregon: Can’t get a read on this team. Something is off every week.

11. Michigan: Wolverines better show that USC-level intensity, or they’ll lose after a long trip to Washington.

12. Boise State: Broncos run the ball well enough to control tempo and scare the heck out of the No. 5 seed in the playoff.

13. USC: Another trip to the Midwest, another test of USC’s toughness vs. physical Minnesota.

14. Clemson: Time to make a statement against FSU ― even if the Noles are a shadow of their 2023 self.

15. Ole Miss: The passing game is too dangerous to file away the Rebels.

16. Kansas State: Despite ugly loss to BYU, Wildcats still may be Big 12’s most complete team.

8. Mail Bonding: Texas vs. Alabama (and Georgia)

Matt: Can you explain to me how Texas, after winning by 48 and 22 points with a backup quarterback, fell behind Alabama in the polls? – Darrel Crutchfield, San Antonio.

Darrel:

Let me break this down like it has never been broken down before: because voters think Alabama is better. Especially after dissecting Georgia for 30 minutes, playing keep away, and then figuring out how to avoid blowing a 28-point lead.

College football is a glorified eye test until the CFP begins, and I can’t see how any voter came away from that epic show thinking Alabama and Georgia aren’t the two best teams in the nation.

The entire poll process is flawed from the jump, based on some inane idea that an unbeaten team is better than a team with one loss. And one loss is better than two losses, and so on.

Texas gets its shot at Georgia on Oct. 19 in Austin, and we’ll then have a better read on the Longhorns.

9. Numbers Game: Texas A&M’s QB quandary

6.73. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko says injured quarterback Conner Weigman (shoulder) could be cleared to play this week against No. 9 Missouri.

This, of course, means backup Marcel Reed – who led the Aggies to three consecutive wins and has played nearly flawless football – is on the bench. It also means Texas A&M’s most dangerous and dynamic player isn’t on the field.

Not only is Reed completing throws at a better percentage, and has six touchdown passes and no interceptions, he has rushed for 230 yards and two more touchdowns. He’s a dual threat who stresses defenses, and averages 6.73 yards every time the ball is snapped and he’s either attempting a pass (7.4 yards per attempt) or running (5.5 yards per carry).

10. The Final Word: Miami’s wakeup call

The game-winning Hail Mary that wasn’t last Friday for Virginia Tech was the best thing that could’ve happened to Miami.

Without it, the Canes are traveling 3,100 miles to Berkeley, Calif., this weekend without the scars of what almost happened, and sitting around a hotel and waiting and waiting and waiting – until 10:30 p.m. ET to play a dangerous team that has had two weeks to prepare.

This will, by far, be the best defense Ward has played all season. The Bears are No. 12 in the nation in scoring defense (12.8 ppg.), and lead the nation in interceptions (10).

Two racing teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, sued NASCAR on Wednesday, accusing the organization of restraining fair competition and violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, preventing teams from competing ‘without accepting the anticompetitive terms’ it dictates.

The suit was filed in the Western District of North Carolina and comes on the heels of a two-year battle between NASCAR and more than a dozen charter-holding organizations that compete in the top tier of stock car racing.

23XI Racing is co-owned by Basketball Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin.

‘Everyone knows that I have always been a fierce competitor, and that will to win is what drives me and the entire 23XI team each and every week out on the track,’ Jordan said in a statement. ‘I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.’

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports claim the ‘France family and NASCAR are monopolistic bullies,’ according to the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY Sports. ‘And bullies will continue to impose their will to hurt others until their targets stand up and refuse to be victims. That moment has now arrived.’

NASCAR has not responded to USA TODAY Sports’ request for a comment on the lawsuit.

‘Unlike many major professional sports leagues like the NFL or the NBA, which are owned and operated by their teams, NASCAR has always been privately owned by the France family, including current CEO and Chairman, James France,’ the lawsuit says. ‘By exploiting its monopsony power over the racing teams, NASCAR has been able to impose anticompetitive terms as a condition of a team’s access to competitions.’

Also, in the statement, the two racing teams say that NASCAR operates without transparency and has control of the sport that unfairly benefits the organization at the expense of owners, sponsors, drivers, and fans.

The lawsuit says that on Sept. 6, NASCAR presented a final, take-it-or-leave-it offer to the driving teams, telling them they had a deadline of 6 p.m. or risked not having a charter for next season.

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Former NFL running back Eddie Lacy is facing DUI-related charges after being arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, late Monday night, according to the Scottsdale Police Department.

The former Green Bay Packers running back was pulled over at about 10:40 p.m. after officers responded to reports of a possible impaired driver and spotted a vehicle matching the provided description. The officers said they saw him committing several traffic violations.

He was booked on four separate DUI charges, including an extreme DUI charge tied to a reported blood alcohol level of 0.20% or more. He was also taken into custody on a charge of possessing an ‘open container in vehicle,’ a Scottsdale police spokesperson said.

Lacy, 34, played college football at Alabama from 2009-12 and was part of three BCS national championships. In the 2012 BCS Championship Game against Notre Dame, he was named offensive MVP.

In the 2013 NFL draft, Lacy was selected in the second round by the Packers. He ran for nearly 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns his first year and was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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Lacy played four seasons for Green Bay before signing a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, during which he played in nine games (three starts).

Further details surrounding his arrest were not made immediately available.

That life sentence Pete Rose got from baseball for gambling?

It doesn’t just go away now that the Cincinnati Reds great and all-time baseball icon died Monday at age 83 in Las Vegas of natural causes. The Hall of Fame welcome wagon isn’t suddenly showing up at his family’s doorstep anytime soon.

That’s because contrary to widespread assumptions and even a few media reports, Rose’s 1989 ban for gambling on baseball was not a ‘lifetime’ ban. It was a permanent ban.

He was put on baseball’s ‘permanently ineligible’ list, along with the likes of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the seven other Chicago White Sox players MLB determined to have thrown the 1919 World Series.

And that’s not even why he’s ineligible for the Hall of Fame. At least not directly.

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As commissioner Rob Manfred has been quick to point out in recent years when asked about Rose, MLB has no say in who’s eligible to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is a separate institution, established in 1936 (60 years after the National League was founded, 35 after the American League). It makes its own eligibility rules, which it did in 1991 on this subject, specifically to address Rose.

The Hall made him ineligible in a separate move as he approached what otherwise would have been his first year on the ballot. The board determined anyone on MLB’s permanently ineligible list will, in turn, be ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration. The board has upheld that decision with subsequent votes.

That’s a step it did not take for Jackson or the other banned White Sox players when the Hall opened the process for its inaugural class 15 years after those players were banned. Jackson received a few scattered votes but never came close to being elected.

In the first year of the Hall’s ban, Rose received 41 write-in votes, which were thrown out and not counted.

“Ultimately, the board has continued to look at this numerous times over 35 years and continues to believe that the rule put in place is the right one for the Hall of Fame,” said Josh Rawitch, Hall of Fame president. “And for those who have not been reinstated from the permanently ineligible list, they shouldn’t be eligible for our ballots.”

As long as that rule remains, it will be up to Manfred or his successor(s) to make a path for the posthumous induction of baseball’s Hit King.

“All I can tell you for sure is that I’m not going to go to bed every night in the near future and say a prayer that I hope I go in the Hall of Fame,” Rose told the Enquirer this season during his final sit-down interview before his death. “This may sound cocky – I am cocky, by the way – but I know what kind of player I was. I know what kind of records I got. My fans know what kind of player I was.

‘And if it’s OK for (fans) to put me in the Hall of Fame, I don’t need a bunch of guys on a committee somewhere.’

BEIJING — Carlos Alcaraz rallied from a set down and held his nerve in a deciding tiebreak to beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) in the China Open final on Wednesday and win his fourth title of the season.

French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who won both of his previous meetings with Sinner this year, recovered from a slow start to wrap up victory in three hours, 21 minutes and improve his head-to-head record with the Italian to 6-4.

While the stage might not have been as grand as it was in some of their recent encounters, Sinner and Alcaraz pushed each other to the limit in the latest chapter of the burgeoning rivalry that has taken the ATP Tour by storm.

‘He could have won in two, I could have won in two, it was a really close match. Jannik once again showed that he’s the best player in the world, with the level that he’s playing,’ Alcaraz, 21, said.

‘It is unbelievable, it’s a really high quality of tennis, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.

‘I had my chances in the first set but didn’t make it, but in general I’m proud of myself. The way that I dealt with the match, the way that I managed everything. For me, it was a really good match.’

After both players defended break points in a cagey start, Alcaraz seized the early break for a 3-1 lead when Sinner’s backhand went wide, before consolidating the advantage in the next as his Italian opponent netted a shot.

World No. 1 Sinner, whose last win over Alcaraz came in the semifinals of this tournament last year, gradually found his range to level at 5-5 and save two set points in the tiebreak to clinch the first set.

Alcaraz was on the ropes early in the second set and Sinner pushed him hard in a 15-minute game, but the second seed successfully held serve for 4-4.

Sinner’s failure to break in the lengthy game appeared to take the wind out of his sails, as Alcaraz sped through the next two games to level the match at a set apiece.

The Spaniard cranked up the intensity on his forehand and broke for a 2-1 lead in the third set, but with victory seemingly in sight, he suffered a lapse in concentration and allowed Sinner to level at 4-4.

In the deciding tiebreak, Sinner snatched control to take a 3-0 lead, but some excellent work at the net helped Alcaraz edge a couple of rallies and go ahead 4-3, before finally clinching the title with an emphatic cross-court forehand winner.

The tiebreak defeat was uncharacteristic for Sinner, who had won 18 out of his past 19 tiebreaks.

Asked if Sinner’s record had caused him any doubt, Alcaraz said: ‘I never lost hope, but honestly, I know that stat. Every time that Jannik plays (a tiebreak), it goes to his side.

‘I’m not going to lie, at 3-0 down and with two mini breaks for him, I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close’.

‘I played great points just to make it 3-3 and after that, I just thought ‘go for it’. If I lost it, at least I went for it.’

The result denied Australian Open and U.S. Open champion Sinner becoming the first man to retain the crown at the China National Tennis Centre since Novak Djokovic won four straight titles between 2012-15.