{"id":7024,"date":"2026-10-05T07:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T07:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7024"},"modified":"2026-10-05T07:02:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T07:02:38","slug":"djokovic-defeats-top-seed-zverev-to-reach-china-open-semifinals-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7024","title":{"rendered":"Djokovic defeats top seed Zverev to reach China Open semifinals | Tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Novak Djokovic to face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in Beijing after the Russian defeats Francisco Cerundolo.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 5 Oct 2026<\/span>5 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Novak Djokovic has brushed aside ongoing injury-related struggles and produced a trademark comeback to defeat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a place in the China Open semifinals, extending his unbeaten record in the tournament.<\/p>\n

Playing the ATP 500 event in Beijing for the first time since 2015, the six-time champion<\/a> was pushed to the limit by reigning French Open<\/a> and US Open champion<\/a> Zverev, who delivered 19 aces in the match on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Meeting for the first time in nearly 16 months, Djokovic struggled to contain the German\u2019s power in the early stages as the 29-year-old Zverev claimed the opening set, but the Serb gradually worked his way into the match and refused to let his opponent pull away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a terrible start \u2013 two double faults at the beginning. It was quite cold, and honestly, I didn\u2019t feel warmed up, but my fault,\u201d Djokovic said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave him an early break, and then it was hard to come back in the first set.\u201d<\/p>\n

The contest was briefly interrupted by a moment of controversy when Zverev argued that the electronic advertising signage had gone dark during a rally and requested a video review after losing the point.<\/p>\n

Replays showed a section of the signage had switched off although not as Zverev was missing the forehand. The chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed, prompting a frustrated exchange from Djokovic.<\/p>\n

\"Germany\u0092s
Zverev had a strong start in the match before being outplayed by Djokovic [Pedro Pardo\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Held my nerves\u2019<\/h2>\n

The turning point came late in the second set when Djokovic broke at 5-4 to level the match, shifting the momentum in his favour after a tightly contested battle.<\/p>\n

With little separating the pair in the third, the Serbian struck again at 5-4 on the Zverev serve, securing the decisive break to seal the victory in two hours and 35 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to be aggressive and come to the net and change up the pace, not giving the same pattern,\u201d Djokovic said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just glad that I held my nerves, played good shots at important moments, 5-4 in the second and third.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair had not met since Roland Garros in 2025, where Djokovic won in four sets, and Sunday\u2019s encounter again highlighted the Serb\u2019s ability to deliver under pressure despite a season disrupted by physical issues.<\/p>\n

With the victory, Djokovic moved a step closer to a seventh China Open title and an elusive first trophy of the year while denying Zverev another opportunity to strengthen his bid for the world number one ranking.<\/p>\n

Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the Russian defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3 earlier.<\/p>\n

\"Serbia's
Djokovic has been plagued by health issues that he has not disclosed, admitting that \u2018this year has been a big, big struggle for me\u2019 [AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rybakina withdraws from Wuhan after China Open exit<\/h2>\n

World number one Elena Rybakina withdrew from this month\u2019s Wuhan Open due to a foot injury, tournament organisers said on Sunday, a day after the Kazakh suffered a shock defeat<\/a> in her opening match at the China Open.<\/p>\n

Rybakina, who lost to world number 118 Alina Charaeva in Beijing, said she would take time away from competition to recover.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play,\u201d Rybakina said in a story posted on the tournament\u2019s Instagram account.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old has been managing a lingering lower leg and foot problem that also forced her to retire from her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek in August.<\/p>\n

Despite the setback, Rybakina recovered in time for the US Open, where she claimed her third Grand Slam title<\/a>, rose to world number one and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals.<\/p>\n

Rybakina is next expected to compete this month in the Ningbo Open in China, where she will try to defend her title.<\/p>\n

The Wuhan Open is scheduled to take place from October 12 to 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Novak Djokovic to face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in Beijing after the Russian defeats Francisco Cerundolo. Published On 5 Oct 20265 Oct 2026 Novak Djokovic has brushed aside ongoing injury-related struggles and produced a trademark comeback to defeat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a place in the China Open semifinals, extending…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t