Djokovic rallies past Zverev to reach China Open semi-finals

Novak Djokovic rallied past top seed Alexander Zverev to advance to the China Open semi-finals on Sunday, extending his unbeaten record at the tournament. The six-time champion, making his debut in Beijing since 2015, faced Zverev 19 times in the match, which lasted two hours and 35 minutes. Djokovic struggled initially, committing two double faults and feeling unprepared due to a cold and lack of warm-up.

He also briefly argued with Zverev over a disputed point when Zverev's LED signage went dark. However, Djokovic broke Zverev's serve twice in the second set to level the match and then secured a decisive break in the third to win. Djokovic credited his ability to stay calm and execute key shots as the reasons for his victory. With this win, Djokovic moves closer to his seventh China Open title and a first title of the year, while denying Zverev another chance to climb to world number one.

The two will face each other in the semi-finals after the Russian defeated Francisco Cerundolo earlier in the day.