ATP Tour

Djokovic battles to maintain perfect Beijing record: 'What a match to be part of'

Novak Djokovic battled back from the brink to keep alive his perfect China Open record on a dramatic Friday night in Beijing.

In front of 15,000 electric fans and under the floodlights, Djokovic was pushed to the limit by the free-hitting Buyunchaokete. However, with the pressure on, the former World No. 1 rose to the occasion and matched the energy of the crowd to rally to a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 victory against the Chinese wild card.

"I had to play very well. I had to serve well in the right moments," Djokovic said when asked how he turned the match around. "It was quite a breeze from one end of the court. I played kind of easier with the wind in my back than it facing you, so most of the breaks came from the side with the wind. He was so solid. I struggled to really find holes in his game and was hitting his spots really well with his serve.

"He was mixing things up really well in the rallies from the back of the court with some short slices and coming in. Credit to him for playing well. The atmosphere was amazing. Packed stadium again for three hours — what a match to be a part of.”

The 39-year-old was just a few points from defeat in the closing stages of the second set, but in trademark fashion, refused to surrender. After initially squandering a break advantage in the second set, the Serbian recovered in the tie-break, producing his best level of the match to force a decider. Djokovic then locked down the hatches in a clinical third-set display to draw errors from Buyunchaokete and seal victory after two hours and 52 minutes.

Djokovic now holds a perfect 31-0 record at the ATP 500 event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 101-time tour-level titlist is competing at the tournament for the first time since 2015, when he lifted his record sixth trophy in the Chinese capital. With his latest win, Djokovic has tied Rafael Nadal's record for the best start to an event among men in the Open Era (since 1968), after the Spaniard Nadal went 31-0 at Roland Garros.

Buyunchaokete reached the semi-finals at his home event in 2024 and was trying to become the first Chinese player in history to defeat Djokovic. The 24-year-old played fearlessly for large parts and exploded out of the corners to keep Djokovic at bay. Yet, when the finish line came into view, the World No. 104 was unable to cross it in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the sixth seed.

“I had to pinch myself,” Djokovic said about the crowd being on his side. “I honestly did not expect that, playing against a Chinese player. I’m very thankful to them. I try to give them good performances on the court.”

Djokovic could face Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. The Serbian, who is the oldest ATP 500 quarter-finalist since the series began in 2009, leads the German 9-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having won their most recent at Roland Garros in 2025. Zverev faces Shang Juncheng on Saturday.

In first-round action, Daniil Medvedev continued his winning form with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta.

Medvedev has won his past five matches, after capturing his third tour-level title of the season in Hangzhou on Tuesday. The 30-year-old has not reached at least the semi-finals in Beijing in his previous three appearances and will hope for another deep run at the ATP 500 event to boost his Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

Medvedev is currently eighth and in the last qualification spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 24-time tour-level champion is 561 points clear of ninth-placed Rafael Jodar, who suffered a first-round exit this week in Tokyo.

Karen Khachanov backed up his first-round win against second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph against Alex Molcan, who is back inside the Top 100 after struggling with both wrist and knee injuries in recent years.

Last month, Khachanov advanced to his third major semi-final at the US Open and will try and make the last four in Beijing when he faces Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. The Pole beat Arthur Gea 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-2.