WATCH: Daniil Medvedev hides his plushie inside Jannik Sinner's winner's trophy during China Open final photocall

Daniil Medvedev found the best spot to store the plushie he received after the China Open final during the photocall with Jannik Sinner—inside the Italian's huge winner's trophy.

Medvedev suffered his first defeat against Sinner in their seventh meeting, losing the final in Beijing in straight sets. Coming to the ATP 500 event on the back of a final exit at the US Open, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic, the Russian fell 6-7(2), 6-7(2) on Wednesday.

In addition to their respective winner's and runner-up trophies, Sinner and Medvedev were also given a plushie each by the organizers. When time came to pose for the final photocall, the former World No. 1 was at a loss about how to hold both the runner-up plate and the pink doll in his hands.

Thankfully, the Italian's trophy, Sinner's third of the year, came to the rescue. Daniil Medvedev smartly tossed his plushie inside the cup and smiled for the photographers before retrieving it with a mischievous grin afterward.

The World No. 7 had lost two finals earlier this year to Medvedev, at the ABN AMRO Open and the Miami Open. At the presentation ceremony, Sinner jokingly thanked the former US Open champion for finally letting him win at least one match, adding that he got "third time lucky" on the night.

Daniil, thanks for letting me win at least one match,” he said, laughing. “We had some very tough battles, especially this year. And, as you said, third time lucky."

The 22-year-old also thanked the Russian for making him a "much better player" and extended his congratulations to Medvedev's team for supporting him in what has been an incredible season for him.

“Most importantly, thanks for making me a much better player. We’ve been practicing a lot for trying to beat you. So, thank you so much. Congrats also to [Medvedev's team]. You are making an incredible season. I wish you all the best for the last couple of tournaments. There’s not so many left but hopefully we both can do some great results there also,” Sinner said.

Victory in Beijing would have brought Medvedev his sixth trophy of the year and 21st overall.

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner are both in action at Shanghai Masters next

China Open Tennis

Fresh off their meeting in China, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner will both make the trip to nearby Shanghai for their next tournament, the 2023 Shanghai Masters.

Sinner, seeded No. 6 at the ATP 1000 event will take on Marcos Giron in the second round. Medvedev, meanwhile, is seeded No. 2 at the competition and will take on Chile's Cristian Garin in the second round.