Djokovic fights back to beat Zverev and reach Beijing semis

Novak Djokovic is still unbeaten in Beijing. He came from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach the China Open semi-finals on 4 October BBC Sport.

Zverev arrived as the top seed and world No. 2. The seeding is the system that keeps the highest-ranked players apart in the early rounds, and on paper he was the man to beat.

The German took the opening set. Djokovic answered by taking the next two, holding his level when the rallies grew long and the pressure sat on his serve.

The win stretched Djokovic's unbeaten run in Beijing to 32 matches. He is chasing a seventh China Open title in the Chinese capital, and his first trophy of 2026.

He will face Daniil Medvedev next. The former US Open champion beat Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to reach the last four.

That first set needed a tiebreak, the shootout played when a set reaches 6-6, with the first player to seven points, clear by two, taking it. Medvedev won it 7-4, then pulled away in the second.

Both men had to work to reach this quarter-final. Djokovic was taken the distance in the second round by Chinese wild card Bu Yunchaokete, winning 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 ATP Tour. Zverev beat Britain's Cameron Norrie 7-6(1), 6-4, then swept past Shang Juncheng 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday to set up the meeting with Djokovic.

What makes this stand out is Beijing itself. Djokovic entered the week 31-0 in the city, and 29-0 at this tournament before 2026, a run built over more than a decade. He also entered this match with a 9-5 lead in his head-to-head with Zverev ATP Tour.

No panic. No rush. Just the old pattern in a new season.

For fans, this means a proper test next. Djokovic against Medvedev is a meeting of two of the best hard-court readers in the game, with a place in the final of this ATP 500 event, the tour's mid-level title tier below the Masters, on the line.