Djokovic Rallies Past Zverev To Reach China Open Semi-Finals

Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to knock out top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and advance to the China Open semifinals.

The 39-year-old Serbian, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, will next face third seed Daniil Medvedev on Monday for a place in the final. The loss dealt a blow to Zverev’s bid to finish the year as the world’s No. 1 player.

Zverev, ranked No. 2, began strongly and broke in the first game before taking the opening set. Djokovic slowly settled into the match and broke at 5-4 in the second set to level the contest. The deciding set remained tight until Djokovic broke Zverev again at 5-4 and served out the victory.

The result extended Djokovic’s unbeaten record in Beijing to 32 matches. He is now closer to a seventh China Open title and his first trophy of a difficult 2026 season marked by form and fitness struggles.

Djokovic said he still competes for moments like this, saying his motivation grows when he is playing well against the best players in the world in front of 15,000 fans. He added that such occasions are what tennis players dream of, and that although the year has been a struggle for different reasons, he is still grinding and making younger players work for their success.

Medvedev reached the semifinals earlier by beating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (4), 6-3. Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz also advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Karen Khachanov and will meet Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who came back to defeat Andrey Rublev 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.