Novak Djokovic battled back from a set down to defeat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, booking his place in the China Open semifinals and dealing a blow to the German's bid to finish the year as the world's top-ranked player. [1] [2]
The 39-year-old Serbian struggled initially against Zverev's power, dropping the first set after double-faulting twice in the opening game. However, Djokovic fought his way back into the contest in front of a packed crowd in Beijing, breaking serve late in the second set and repeating the feat at 5-4 in the decider to seal the victory in two hours and 34 minutes. [1] [2]
The win extends Djokovic's unbeaten streak in Beijing to 32 matches as he pursues a seventh China Open title and his first trophy of 2026. He will face third seed Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals on Monday. [1] [2]
Sources
- China Open: Novak Djokovic beats top seed Alexander Zverev to reach semi-finals and dents German's bid to finish year as world number one — 2026-10-04T14:47:14.642Z
- Djokovic rolls back years to beat Zverev as Sabalenka swept out in China Open — 2026-10-04T15:33:08.000Z