Novak Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 500 in Beijing, where he will face the Russian Daniil Medvedev.
The Serbian Novak Djokovic, number 11 in the ATP ranking, gave a new blow of authority this Sunday by defeating the German Alexander Zverev, the second player in the world, in the quarterfinals of the Beijing tournament.
Djokovic won 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4 in a match in which he reacted after losing the first set and ended up imposing his experience against one of the great protagonists of the season.
“To be honest, it is for moments like this that I continue playing, fighting. The motivation is still immense when you feel good and play as equals against the best players in the world,” declared the Serbian after the match.
“It is those moments that I believe define the dreams of every tennis player. This year has been difficult for different reasons, but I am still here, I continue fighting and I continue giving battle to young people,” he added.
The victory represents one of his most important triumphs of the year for Djokovic. His previous victory against a player of this category came at the end of January, when he defeated the Italian Jannik Sinner, then world number one, in the semifinals of the Australian Open. He later lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz.
The winner of 24 Grand Slam titles has considerably reduced his schedule and Beijing is only the eighth tournament he has played this season. His most recent participation had ended unexpectedly at the United States Open, where he suffered his first elimination in a Grand Slam in two decades in the first round.
Djokovic remains undefeated in Beijing
In the semifinals, Djokovic will face Russian Daniil Medvedev, world number six, who defeated Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo 7-6 (7/4) and 6-3.
The other semifinal will face the Polish Hubert Hurkacz, number 39 in the ATP ranking, with the Australian Álex de Miñaur, tenth seed.
Djokovic and Zverev had not faced each other since Roland Garros 2025, when the Serbian also took the victory, after three hours and 17 minutes of play.
Although Zverev arrived as a favorite due to his great season, Djokovic once again showed his best version in Beijing. The German started better and took the first set, but the Serbian reacted immediately and managed to tie the match.
In the third set, Djokovic kept up the pressure until he got his first opportunity to close the match. After wasting it, he converted the second to seal one of his most notable victories of the year.
With this victory, the Serbian also maintains his impressive dominance in the Chinese tournament: he has 32 consecutive victories in Beijing.
