Novak Djokovic fought back to beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the China Open quarter-finals on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The match lasted 2 hours and 18 minutes.
The win lifts Djokovic's record in Beijing to 32 wins and no losses. It is the best start at a single ATP event in the Open Era, ahead of Rafael Nadal's earlier mark of 31 straight wins at one tournament. Djokovic, who is 39, has won the China Open six times, and this result keeps his chase for a seventh title alive.
A slow start: Djokovic, the sixth seed from Serbia, began badly. He made two double faults early on and gave up a break. Zverev, the top seed from Germany, took the first set 6-4.
Afterward, Djokovic blamed the cold weather and said he had not warmed up well. "I had a terrible start. Two double faults at the beginning. It was quite cold and honestly, I didn't feel warmed up, but my fault," he said. "I gave him an early break and then it was hard to come back in the first set."
Djokovic changed his approach in the second set, using more drop shots and some serve-and-volley play. He broke Zverev at 5-4 to win the set 6-4 and level the match.
In the third set, he broke again at 5-4 to close out the match 6-4.
At one point, Djokovic also argued with the umpire over a point that was replayed.
Djokovic praised Zverev after the match. "He's the best player in the world right now," Djokovic said. "He's been playing amazing tennis the last few months, winning two Grand Slams."
It was their first meeting in nearly 16 months. They last played at last year's French Open, where Djokovic won in four sets.
Djokovic goes on to face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals. He is still looking for his first trophy of 2026. Zverev was hoping to strengthen his bid for the world No. 1 ranking.
