Vintage Djokovic wins high-intensity battle with Zverev to go 32-0 in Beijing
Novak Djokovic (No. 6) came from a set down to beat top seed Alexander Zverev (No. 1) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday and reach the China Open semifinals. At 39, he is now 32-0 in Beijing, an outright record start at a single event that moves him past Rafael Nadal. He also clashed with the umpire over a replayed point.
Djokovic – Zverev, Beijing 2026 | © Achmad Ibrahim/AP/SIPA
Serb Novak Djokovic, the No. 6 seed, came from a set down to beat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 34 minutes on Sunday. The win sent him into the semifinals of the China Open and gave him an outright record. Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev, the No. 3 seed, in the semifinals.
The six-time champion is now 32-0 in Beijing. That is the longest winning streak any player has put together from his first match at a single ATP-level event, one more than Rafael Nadal’s 31 at Roland-Garros.
Outstanding tennis
It was one of Djokovic’s best performances of the season, alongside his Australian Open semifinal win over Jannik Sinner. It was also a strong response after his physical difficulties this summer. The 39-year-old played some outstanding tennis over the last two sets against the Roland-Garros and US Open champion. He held 14 of his 15 service games and won 82 percent of his first-serve points.
Zverev’s numbers were remarkable too. He hit 19 aces, made no double faults, landed 80 percent of his first serves and saved one match point on a legendary rallye. But Djokovic converted two of his five break points and took 95 of the 180 points played.
The world No. 11 extended his lead over Zverev to 10-5 in their head-to-head. It was the 267th Top 10 win of his career, his fourth of 2026 and his second win over a world No. 2 this season. He also becomes only the third man to beat a Top 3 player after turning 39, after Ken Rosewall and Jimmy Connors.
The match also had a flashpoint. During one rally, Zverev missed a forehand and only then stopped play, saying the LED screen at the side of the court had changed images during his serve. The chair umpire ruled it a hindrance and ordered the point replayed, which angered Djokovic.
“He served, I played a shot, he played another, and only then does he challenge. Is that okay?” Djokovic said to the umpire. “If the screen bothered him, he should’ve stopped right after the serve, not kept going. You missed the forehand and only then complained.”
“I didn’t know if I could challenge for that, that’s why I came over and asked the umpire,” Zverev replied.
“This has to be one of the stupidest rule changes I’ve ever heard of,” Djokovic went on. “If a player is bothered by something, they stop immediately. Otherwise, we could rally for 30 shots, lose the point, and say: ‘Okay, now I’ll challenge.'”
Djokovic reached his seventh Beijing semifinal, a record at the event, and the 202nd of his career. He had beaten Chinese wild card Yunchaokete Bu 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 and Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (2). Zverev, ranked No. 2, had beaten Chinese wild card Juncheng Shang 6-0, 6-3 and Briton Cameron Norrie 7-6 (1), 6-4.
Medvedev, Djokovic’s next opponent, beat Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (4), 6-3 for his seventh straight win, after taking the Hangzhou title on Tuesday. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 10-5. “Novak is crazy because he is old – we’re not gonna lie – but he can play so good”, Medvedev said even not knowing he would play him.
In the other semifinal, Australian Alex de Minaur, the No. 5 seed, will face Pole Hubert Hurkacz. De Minaur came from a set down to beat Andrey Rublev 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. Hurkacz, last week’s Chengdu finalist, beat Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2), 6-2 to become the first Polish man to reach the semifinals in Beijing.
