Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the China Open quarter-finals, reaching the last four in Beijing while extending his unbeaten record at the tournament to 32 matches.
The 39-year-old Serbian needed two hours and 34 minutes to overcome top seed Zverev in a contest decided by late breaks in each of the final two sets. Sky Sports and the Guardian reported that Djokovic broke serve at 5-4 in the second set to level the match, then repeated the feat at the same score in the decider.
The victory set a new Open Era mark for the best start by a man at a single tour-level event, according to Sky Sports. Djokovic had shared the previous mark with Rafael Nadal, whose opening run at the French Open stood at 31 wins.
Sky Sports reported that Djokovic had won all 29 of his earlier Beijing matches in the tournament before returning to the event this year for the first time since 2015.
Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final after the Russian defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3 in the other quarter-final.
Djokovic finds a response after difficult opening
Zverev made the sharper start and broke Djokovic in the opening game after the Serbian delivered two double faults, according to the Guardian. The German protected that advantage to take the first set 6-4.
Djokovic said afterwards that he had made a poor start and had not felt sufficiently warmed up in the early stages. However, he reported that he had begun to find better rhythm on serve from the middle of the opening set, even though he was unable to convert break points when Zverev served for the set.
The match turned late in the second set. With the score at 4-4, Djokovic faced a break point on his own serve, according to Tennis Now. He held, then secured his first break of the match in the following game to force a deciding set.
There was again little between the players through much of the third set. Djokovic held for a 5-4 lead before breaking Zverev to complete the comeback. The Guardian reported that Zverev produced 19 aces across the match, but Djokovic stayed firm in the closing stages after the early service setback.
Djokovic said he had tried to be more proactive on important points, using short balls to come forward, varying the pattern of play and applying pressure at the net. Tennis Now reported that he won 18 of 22 points when approaching the net, a statistic which supports his assessment that he needed to take greater initiative against Zverev’s power.
A Beijing record and a demanding semi-final
The result moved Djokovic to 32-0 at the China Open, where Sky Sports described him as a six-time champion. It was his first appearance in Beijing since 2015, and his winning run now represents the longest unbeaten start at one men’s tour-level event in the Open Era, according to the broadcaster.
Djokovic told reporters that the match ranked among his two best performances of the season. He also said victories of that kind remained a principal motivation for continuing to compete, as they demonstrated to him that he could still beat the leading players.
For Zverev, the defeat ended a chance to progress from the quarter-finals as top seed. Sky Sports reported that the loss also denied him a further opportunity to improve his position in the contest for world No 1.
Djokovic’s next opponent arrives in form. Medvedev beat Cerundolo in one hour and 40 minutes, according to Tennis Now, to register a seventh successive victory after winning the Hangzhou title the previous week. The Russian’s victory also sent him into a fourth consecutive China Open semi-final, the report said.
Djokovic acknowledged that Medvedev knew his game well and said he would need another strong performance to have a chance of progressing. The semi-final therefore offers a swift test of whether the controlled aggression that rescued his match against Zverev can carry him another step towards the Beijing title.