Djokovic Wins a Record Seventh China Open as De Minaur Retires in the Final
Novak Djokovic, 39, lifted the 2026 China Open trophy in Beijing after Alex de Minaur retired from the final while trailing 7-6(3), 0-1. It was Djokovic's 102nd tour-level title, his seventh in Beijing, and it left him a perfect 34-0 at the tournament.
- Novak DjokovicChampion, seed 6
- 7-6(3), 0-1 ret.Final score vs De Minaur
- 34-0Djokovic's Beijing record
- 102ndCareer tour-level title
How the tournament played out
The ATP 500 ran from 30 September to 6 October, with the final pushed to Tuesday. Defending champion Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury and was replaced in the draw by Quentin Halys. Alexander Zverev arrived as top seed, with Daniil Medvedev third seed and Alex de Minaur fifth. Djokovic, seeded sixth, was playing Beijing for the first time since winning it in 2015.
He opened with a straight-sets win over Nuno Borges, beat Bu Yunchaokete of China next, and then produced the comeback of the week against Zverev. The title run ended in unusual fashion, with Djokovic winning his last two matches without having to play a match point.
Scores: singles
| Round | Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | Novak Djokovic (6) | Alex de Minaur (5) | 7-6(3), 0-1 ret. |
| Semi-final | Novak Djokovic (6) | Daniil Medvedev (3) | 7-5, 5-3 def. |
| Semi-final | Alex de Minaur (5) | Hubert Hurkacz | 6-4, 3-2 ret. |
| Quarter-final | Novak Djokovic (6) | Alexander Zverev (1) | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Quarter-final | Daniil Medvedev (3) | Francisco Cerundolo | 7-6(4), 6-3 |
| Quarter-final | Alex de Minaur (5) | Andrey Rublev | 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| Quarter-final | Hubert Hurkacz | Karen Khachanov | 7-6(2), 6-2 |
| Round 1 | Novak Djokovic (6) | Nuno Borges | 6-3, 7-6 |
| Round 1 | Daniil Medvedev (3) | Pablo Carreno Busta | 6-4, 6-2 |
| Round 1 | Jan-Lennard Struff | Thiago Agustin Tirante | 6-1, 6-4 |
Doubles final
| Winners | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Julian Cash / Lloyd Glasspool (2) | Sander Arends / David Pel | 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 |
Key moments
Quarter-final: Djokovic fights back past Zverev
Zverev won the first set and looked in control, but Djokovic turned the match around, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday evening. The win stretched his unbeaten run in Beijing to 32 matches, beyond Rafael Nadal's Open Era record of 31 straight wins to start a men's event, set at Roland Garros.
Semi-final: Medvedev defaulted
Medvedev, riding a seven-match winning streak after winning the Hangzhou 250 the week before, broke first and the pair traded breaks across an absorbing 2 hours 29 minutes. Djokovic took the opening set 7-5 and led 5-3 in the second, serving at 15-15, when Medvedev hit a ball into the stands that struck a spectator near the left eye. After deliberation between the chair umpire and officials, he was defaulted. Medvedev called it a “100 per cent accident” and apologised, but loses all points and prize money from the event. Djokovic saved 16 of the 18 break points he faced and said he felt sorry for his opponent.
Other semi-final: Hurkacz hurt
Hubert Hurkacz became the first Polish semi-finalist in the tournament's history by beating Khachanov, but the groin injury that needed treatment in that match returned, and he retired trailing De Minaur 4-6, 2-3.
Final: second injury retirement in a row
De Minaur showed plenty of attacking intent in the opening set, but Djokovic hit a backhand passing winner to save break point at 2-2 and won the tie-break 7-3. Both players took medical timeouts. De Minaur, who was treated for his groin, retired after winning the first game of the second set. Djokovic said it felt strange to celebrate, but called it one of his best weeks in the last couple of years.
Player profiles
| Player | Country | Seed | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 6 | Champion |
| Alex de Minaur | Australia | 5 | Runner-up (retired) |
| Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3 | Semi-final (defaulted) |
| Hubert Hurkacz | Poland | – | Semi-final (retired) |
| Alexander Zverev | Germany | 1 | Quarter-final |
Novak Djokovic. Ranked 12th and the sixth seed, Djokovic became the oldest ATP 500 champion since the category began in 2009, passing Roger Federer's Basel win at 38 in 2019. He is now one title short of Federer's 103 and the second-most in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors' 109. His 73rd hard-court title is the most in the Open Era, and he is the first man to win a tour-level title in 21 straight seasons. It was also his first title since the Hellenic Championship almost a year ago.
Alex de Minaur. The Australian reached his tenth ATP 500 final chasing a first title in Beijing and a second of the season after winning Rotterdam in February. He came into the final trailing Djokovic 1-3 in their head-to-head.
Daniil Medvedev. The former world No. 1 arrived in form from Hangzhou and beat Cerundolo in the last eight. The default ended his week and cost him his ranking points.
Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole reached a first semi-final above ATP 250 level since Rotterdam in February 2025, as a Chengdu finalist, and recorded his 250th tour-level win against Khachanov.
News and race to Turin
- Djokovic climbed six places to ninth in the Live Race to Turin and now leads tenth-placed De Minaur by 140 points, strengthening his hopes of reaching the Nitto ATP Finals.
- Defending champion Jannik Sinner pulled out with a knee injury and has not played since Wimbledon.
- Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, seeded second, won the doubles title over Arends and Pel.
Sources
- ATP Tour: Djokovic wins 102nd title after De Minaur retires
- ATP Tour: Beijing results
- ATP Tour: Djokovic downs Zverev in the quarter-final
- ATP Tour: Djokovic reaches final after Medvedev default
- ATP Tour: Beijing draw preview
- Sky Sports: Medvedev defaulted for hitting spectator
- Olympics.com: Djokovic claims seventh Beijing title
- TennisWatcher: De Minaur reaches the final
- Tennis Up To Date: draw and results
- ESPN: 2026 China Open bracket
- Wikipedia: 2026 China Open men's singles
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