Djokovic Claims Seventh China Open Crown After De Minaur Retires Injured in Final
Novak Djokovic secured the China Open trophy on Tuesday after Alex de Minaur was forced to retire due to injury during the final in Beijing. Both competitors took medical timeouts early in the match.
De Minaur struggled with a groin problem and withdrew after starting the second set trailing 0-1, despite winning the opening game of that set. Djokovic, aged 39, extended his flawless record at this event to 34-0 with a scoreline of 7-6 (3), 0-1 (retirement).
"I always have high expectations of myself and always want to visualize myself with the trophy, especially here in Beijing, where I have never lost," Djokovic said. "But I also knew reality is a bit different these days."
This marked Djokovic's return to Beijing for the first time since his last victory there in 2015. His seventh triumph at the China Open also became his 102nd ATP tour title, just one shy of Roger Federer's total. Jimmy Connors holds the Open era record with 109 titles.
Earlier this year, Djokovic fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, marking his only final loss in 2026.
"This year has been quite challenging for me: lots of physical and health issues," Djokovic admitted. "I was trying to find a good feeling on the court. When I feel well and strike the ball properly, I know I can compete at the highest level. This week has shown that."
During the tournament, Djokovic defeated three top-10 opponents for the first time in three years. He beat U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and advanced past Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a spectator with a ball.
In the final's opening set, No. 9-ranked De Minaur challenged the No. 11 Djokovic with aggressive baseline shots and saved two break points. However, unforced errors led to him losing the tiebreak despite hitting 11 winners compared to Djokovic's three.
"I want to apologize to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match. I didn't want it to end this way, so I'm really sorry," De Minaur expressed.
De Minaur had reached the final when Hubert Hurkacz retired injured during their semifinal match's second set. The Australian was aiming for his first China Open title and a second win this year following his February victory in Rotterdam.
Women's Tournament Highlights
In the women's event, 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova maintained momentum by beating Sinja Kraus 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in the round of 16 after knocking out second seed Aryna Sabalenka earlier.
Also notable, fifth seed Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova was upset by 19th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Seventh seed Karolina Muchova survived a tough battle to eliminate 12th seed Naomi Osaka with scores of 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in a thrilling match.
