Novak Djokovic rolls back years to beat Alexander Zverev and keep Beijing streak
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Novak Djokovic fought back from the brink to stun Alexander Zverev for one of his best results of 2026 and extend his winning streak at the China Open to 32 matches.
The 24-time grand slam singles champion looked set to taste defeat for the first time at the ATP 500 event in Beijing when Zverev claimed the first set of their quarter-final tie and had a break point at 4-4 in the second.
However, Djokovic showed his trademark fighting qualities to save and then break serve to force a decider against this year’s French Open and US Open winner.
And the 39-year-old prevailed in the final set to secure a magnificent 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory after an enthralling two-hour-and-35-minute battle.
Djokovic’s victory on Friday over Bu Yunchaokete had drawn the Serbian level with old rival Rafael Nadal, who held the record for the best start to a men’s event in the Open Era with 31 consecutive wins at Roland Garros.
Zverev was always a major obstacle and Djokovic made a poor start when he sent down two double faults to be broken in the first game.
A contentious moment occurred in the next game when Zverev sent a forehand wide and complained about movement by an LED screen, which resulted in the point being replayed much to the bemusement of Djokovic.
It led to a comfortable Zverev hold, but after the German squandered set point on Djokovic’s serve at 5-3, he had to save two break points before a fifth ace of the match sealed a 59-minute opener.
The second set started with an extraordinary rally won by Djokovic and stayed on serve until the sixth seed dug deep, firstly saving break point at 4-4 before he stunned Zverev to break and spark enormous noise inside the National Tennis Centre in Beijing.
Zverev sent down three consecutive aces at the start of the third set before Djokovic had to save break point to move 2-1 up.
With the tie beyond the two-hour mark, Djokovic went to the well and even though his first match point was wasted, Zverev sent a forehand into the net on the second to give the six-time China Open champion Djokovic a record-breaking win.
Djokovic, who has still not lost since his debut here in 2009, will face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final as he looks to build on a result that rivals his Australian Open win over Jannik Sinner at the start of this year.
At the Japan Open, top seed Carlos Alcaraz required only 83 minutes on court before he booked a place in the semi-finals after Denis Shapovalov retired when trailing 7-6 (3) 2-1.
