Love All

Tennis briefATP

Djokovic Stuns Zverev to Keep Perfect Beijing Record Alive

Novak Djokovic turned back the clock Sunday in Beijing, rallying from a set down to defeat US Open and Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach the China Open semifinals.

Playing the tournament for the first time since 2015, the 39-year-old Djokovic survived 19 aces from Zverev and found the decisive break at exactly the right moment in each of the final two sets. He broke at 5-4 in the second and repeated the feat at 5-4 in the third to complete the comeback in two hours and 35 minutes.

The victory extends one of the strangest perfect records in tennis: Djokovic is now 32-0 at the China Open. He has won the tournament in each of his six previous appearances and is chasing a seventh Beijing title—and his first tournament championship of 2026. His 32 consecutive victories also represent the best unbeaten start by a man at a single tour-level event in the Open Era, surpassing Rafael Nadal's first 31 victories at Roland Garros.

Djokovic will next face another familiar rival, Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3. The other Beijing semifinal will feature Alex de Minaur against Hubert Hurkacz. De Minaur recovered from a disastrous opening set to beat Andrey Rublev 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, while Hurkacz continued an impressive week with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over Karen Khachanov.

Across Asia in Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals under unfortunate circumstances when Denis Shapovalov retired while trailing 7-6(3), 2-1. Alcaraz had already survived a difficult opening set before the Canadian was unable to continue. He will face Jaume Munar, who followed his opening-round upset of Taylor Fritz with a 6-4, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Kyrian Jacquet.

Valentin Vacherot also continued his run in Tokyo, eliminating Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. The 27-year-old Monegasque, who began the week seeded eighth, is now one victory away from his first ATP 500 final.

One Year Ago

Learner Tien was preparing to play Jannik Sinner in the 2025 China Open final after a breakthrough run through Beijing. This year, Tien's tournament lasted one match: Hubert Hurkacz rallied past the 20-year-old American 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round.

The contrast is another reminder of how quickly the tennis calendar turns. Tien has climbed dramatically in the rankings since last year's Beijing breakthrough, but there will be no repeat run in the Chinese capital this season.

Your Tennis Newsletter

Your Weekly Tennis Digest, Curated by You!

Save your favorite tennis stories and get a personalized newsletter every week!

Personalized Newsletter

Each week, get a curated email with your saved stories—never miss a match update or player spotlight!

Fast, Free & Easy

Save stories with one tap, search thousands of articles instantly.

Sign Up Now: Create a free account to start saving stories

Already have an account?

Login to continue
Explore 4,000+ Articles
Weekly Email Digest

15 - LOVE

Tennis Ball
Showing 1-21 of 63 storiesPage 1 of 3
atptour.comOct 2026

Valentin Vacherot completes dramatic Arthur Fils win in Tokyo: 'That's tennis' | ATP Tour

Valentin Vacherot produced another remarkable comeback on Sunday in Tokyo, where he overcame former champion Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, ...

ATPRead more →
•
tennisworldusa.orgOct 2026

Elena Rybakina says she was short on sleep and recovery after shock Beijing loss

Elena Rybakina admitted it was a very tough day in Beijing, revealing that she didn't get much time to sleep or recover after winning the US Open before her shock loss to Charaeva.

WTARead more →
•
tennis365.comOct 2025

Emma Navarro reveals tactics to beat Iga Swiatek as she hands out a bagel - Tennis365

More Tennis News ... She is now due to play in another WTA 1000 event in Wuhan next week, but there must be questions over whether she will look to take ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
atptour.comOct 2026

Novak Djokovic downs in-form Alexander Zverev for Beijing SF spot | ATP Tour | Tennis

Novak Djokovic delivered a statement victory against the ATP Tour's in-form player to forge a new piece of tennis history on Sunday evening in ...

ATPRead more →
•
wtatennis.comOct 2026

Sun Xinran, 16, stuns Bucsa in Beijing for first Top 50 win; to face Gauff next

Junior World No. 1 Sun Xinran, a 16-year-old wild card, defeated No. 27 seed Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 7-5 to reach the third round, notching her first career Top 50 win and becoming the first 2010-born player to reach the third round of a WTA 1000 event.

WTARead more →
•
tennisthreads.netOct 2025

Beijing | Gauff, Anisimova and Paolini make it into the Last 8 | Tennis Threads Magazine

Defending Coco Gauff survived a stern challenge from Belinda Bencic to reach the quarter-finals of WTA 1000 China Open on Tuesday.

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
atptour.comOct 2026

Highlights: Djokovic rallies past Zverev for Beijing 2026 SF spot | ATP Tour | Tennis

Watch Novak Djokovic earn a thrilling three-set win over Alexander Zverev to improve to 32-0 at the China Open in Beijing.

ATPRead more →
•
wtatennis.comOct 2026

By the numbers: Bartunkova stuns Sabalenka to reach Beijing last 16

Nikola Bartunkova scored the biggest win of her career by defeating No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 in straight sets in the third round of the China Open.

WTARead more →
•
puntodebreak.comOct 2025

Eva Lys, the WTA revelation who wants to make tennis more fun: "I am creative, we must ...

At 23, the progression of this German tennis player, with a bold style focusing on taking the ball early and distributing play from the baseline, has ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
olympics.comOct 2026

Farewell Nishikori Kei, Japan's trailblazer bowing out from tennis on home soil

Wildcard Nishikori was beaten in straight sets by the ATP 500 tournament's top seed, Frances Tiafoe, in a 6-4, 6-4 result on Thursday (1 October). The ...

ATPRead more →
•
tennismajors.comOct 2026

Tennis, WTA – China Open 2026: Charaeva eliminates Rybakina

Alina Charaeva beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 (WTA)

WTARead more →
•
nytimes.comOct 2025

Eva Lys' tennis rise up the WTA Tour is built on a 'less is more' approach. She explains why

At the back end of the tennis season, when players are retiring mid-match and pulling out of tournaments with alarming regularity — and surprise ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
sports.yahoo.comOct 2026

Rafael Nadal sends heartfelt message to Kei Nishikori after his last ATP match

Kei Nishikori has stepped away from his tennis career. The 2014 US Open finalist contested his final match on Thursday, losing to Frances Tiafoe ...

ATPRead more →
•
tenniscanada.comOct 2026

Fernandez Bows Out Early in Beijing | Tennis Canada

Leylah Annie Fernandez's WTA 1000 China Open run came to an end in her opening match following a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Kamilla Rakhimova on ...

WTARead more →
•
wtatennis.comOct 2025

Defending champion Gauff qualifies for WTA Finals; Andreeva and Shnaider clinch doubles spot

Gauff also posted additional quarterfinal runs at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart) and is currently ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
tennismajors.comOct 2026

Alcaraz saves three set points, then pulls away from Michelsen to stay perfect in Tokyo

Carlos Alcaraz won against Alex Michelsen 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 (ATP) ... Tennis TV / Tennis Majors. Author avatar. Tennis Majors. Kinoshita Group ...

ATPRead more →
•
sports.yahoo.comOct 2026

Iga Swiatek explains why she finds working with Francisco Roig particularly 'inspiring' after ...

It's been a season full of ups and downs for former world number one Iga Swiatek, who is now placed ninth in the WTA rankings ... Tennis image Tennis.

WTARead more →
•
tennisthreads.netOct 2025

Beijing | Sinner lifts the huge golden trophy - Tennis Threads Magazine

He is also set to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jedah for the second consecutive year. Learner Tien and Jannik Sinner show off their trophies ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•
skysports.comOct 2026

Kei Nishikori farewell message from Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and other ...

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and many more ATP stars bid farewell to the great Kei Nishikori ... Tennis · News · Watch · Scores ...

ATPRead more →
•
si.comOct 2026

WTA Tour Announces Equal Pay Initiative for 2027 Tennis Season - Sports Illustrated

... tennis players get paid. On Friday, October 2nd, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced that they had made a massive step forward in the ...

WTARead more →
•
tennis365.comOct 2025

Jannik Sinner closes gap to Carlos Alcaraz in ATP Rankings after China Open victory

It was for sure couple of years ago a turning point for my career, playing some great tennis against great opponents. This I will always remember,” ...

1+ year ago...Read more →
•

30 - LOVE

Search 4,000+ Tennis Articles

Find the latest news, player updates, and tennis history instantly

4,000+ Articles
Instant Results
Updated Daily

Search Tips

Try searching for:
  • • Player names: "Federer", "Nadal", "Serena"
  • • Tournaments: "Wimbledon", "US Open", "Australian Open"
  • • Topics: "serve", "backhand", "clay court"
Features:
  • • Instant results from 4,000+ articles
  • • Save interesting stories to your collection
  • • Get weekly email digest of your saved stories
Loading tennis videos...

Deuce

Vintage Finds

Discovering vintage treasures...