Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the China Open by defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets on Sunday. The 39-year-old Serbian won 4-6 6-4 6-4 to maintain his perfect record at the Beijing tournament and move closer to a seventh title at the event.
With this victory, Djokovic established a new record for the longest winning streak at a single tour-level event in men’s singles during the Open Era. His 32-0 mark in Beijing surpassed Rafael Nadal’s previous record of 31 consecutive victories at the French Open. The Serbian is a six-time champion in Beijing and had won all 29 of his previous matches at the tournament before returning this year for the first time since 2015, when he defeated Nadal in the final.
Djokovic struggled early in the contest, with Zverev claiming the opening set after the Serbian committed two double faults at the start. However, Djokovic gradually regained momentum as the match progressed. The turning point occurred late in the second set when Djokovic broke Zverev’s serve at 5-4 to level the match. He struck again at 5-4 in the third set to secure the decisive break and seal the victory.
The two players met for the first time in nearly 16 months. Their last encounter came at last year’s French Open, where Djokovic prevailed in four sets. With this win, Djokovic moved closer to his first trophy of the year while denying Zverev an opportunity to strengthen his bid for the world No. 1 ranking. Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after Medvedev defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
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