Novak Djokovic beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in Beijing to reach the Beijing Open semi-finals and extend his winning streak there to 32 matches.
The win mattered because it came against the top seed in a match that lasted two hours and 34 minutes, with Djokovic absorbing 19 aces from Zverev and still finding a way through after dropping the first set. He also double-faulted twice in the opening game, yet recovered fast enough to turn the match around and keep control when it mattered most.
That kind of finish is the reason the result drew immediate attention. Beijing has become one of Djokovic’s most reliable stages, and this one added another layer: a hard-fought comeback built on defense, patience and a refusal to let the serve tally decide the outcome. The straight-line score does not tell the full story of how much pressure he absorbed before the last two sets tilted his way.
There was, though, one odd interruption that underlined how unsettled the match became. A point had to be replayed after Zverev complained about a flicker in the LED panels during play, a small disruption that briefly cut through the rhythm of a contest already heavy with serve pressure. Djokovic did not let it change the result, and the match ended with the familiar sense that he had outlasted another difficult night rather than merely outplayed it.
Djokovic now moves on to face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Francisco Cerúndolo 7-6, 6-3, in the semi-finals. That pairing keeps the Beijing Open loaded with a clear next step and gives Djokovic another stern test after a match that asked plenty of him physically and mentally. Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka lost 6-4, 6-3 to Nikola Bartunkova in the third round, leaving the tournament without its top two seeds.
