Djokovic defeats top seed Zverev to reach China Open semifinals

Novak Djokovic defeated top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, October 5, 2026, to reach the semifinals despite ongoing injury struggles. Zverev, the reigning French Open and US Open champion, delivered 19 aces but could not prevent Djokovic, a six-time China Open champion competing at the ATP 500 event for the first time since 2015, from advancing. Djokovic will next face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the Russian beat Francisco Cerundolo.