No.6 seed Novak Djokovic came back from a set down to keep his perfect record at the China Open alive. In a dramatic match on Friday evening in Beijing, Novak defeated Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2.
In front of 15,000 fans, in a fantastic atmosphere under the floodlights, Djokovic was pushed to his limits by the Chinese wild card. However, when the pressure was at its highest, the former world no.1 showed once again why he has made so many great comebacks during his career. He raised his level and, helped by the energy of the crowd, fought his way to a hard-earned victory.
The 39-year-old Serbian star was just a few points away from defeat late in the second set, but, as he has done so many times in his career, he refused to give up. After losing his break advantage in the second set, Djokovic played a brilliant tie-break. He produced his best tennis of the match, won the tie-break 7-2 and forced a deciding set.
Novak raised his level again in the third set. He played with confidence and precision, forced his opponent into errors and closed out the match without too much trouble. After two hours and 52 minutes, the victory belonged to Nole.
“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.”
Novak now has a perfect 31-0 W/L record at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing. He is playing at the event for the first time since 2015, when he won a record sixth title in the Chinese capital.
With this victory, Djokovic matched Rafael Nadal’s record for the best start at a men’s tournament in the Open Era, which began in 1968. Nadal also won his first 31 matches at Roland Garros without a loss.
The 24-year-old Yunchaokete played bravely for most of the match. He moved extremely well and hit the ball with great power from the corners, keeping Novak under pressure. However, when victory was within reach, the world no.104 was unable to take the final step. This was their first meeting.
Djokovic could face top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. The Serbian leads the German 9-5 in their ATP meetings, and won their most recent match at Roland Garros in 2025.
Zverev will face Shang Juncheng on Saturday.
Photo: Profimedia
