Djokovic Goes 32-0 in Beijing by Beating Top Seed Zverev as Alcaraz Reaches the Tokyo Semi-Finals

Novak Djokovic is still unbeaten at the China Open. On Sunday the 39-year-old came from a set down to beat top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. In Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz reached the Japan Open semi-finals after an injury cut his match short.

Both semi-finals are on Monday.

Beijing: Djokovic beats Zverev to go 32-0

Djokovic, seeded sixth, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes. That makes him 32-0 at the event. According to the ATP, it is now the best start by any man at a single tour-level event in the Open Era, passing the 31-0 he had shared with Rafael Nadal's run at Roland Garros.

Zverev served 19 aces but could not break Djokovic down. The Serbian won 82 per cent of his first-serve points (53 of 65).

Beijing quarter-final results (Sunday 4 October)

• [6] Novak Djokovic def. [1] Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• [3] Daniil Medvedev def. Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3
• [5] Alex de Minaur def. Andrey Rublev 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
• Hubert Hurkacz def. Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-2

Djokovic now plays Medvedev in the semi-finals, while de Minaur meets Hurkacz in the other half.

The defeat also matters for the rankings. On Saturday, Al Jazeera noted that Zverev could take the world No. 1 spot from the injured Jannik Sinner by winning both Beijing and the Shanghai Masters. His loss on Sunday ends that possibility.

Tokyo: Alcaraz moves on as Shapovalov retires

Top seed Alcaraz reached the last four when Denis Shapovalov retired with the score at 7-6(3), 2-1. The Canadian appeared to have a hip problem.

Before the injury, the first set had been close. There were six breaks of serve, and Shapovalov served for the set and had a set point before Alcaraz won the tie-break 7-3. Tennis Canada said it was Shapovalov's second retirement of the year. Alcaraz wrote "Be back soon Denis" on the courtside camera before leaving.

Alcaraz was honest about his form. "I'd say I'm still very far away. It's far from where I want to be," he said, while adding that he was happy with his training and that match play is very different from practice.

On Saturday, he came back from 2/6 down in the first-set tie-break against Matteo Arnaldi, saving four set points before winning 7-6(6), 6-1. "When you are down in a tie-break, you are thinking about doing something different... I just tried to stay there, point after point," he said.

Tokyo semi-finals today (Monday 5 October)

• [1] Carlos Alcaraz vs Jaume Munar: not before 4pm Tokyo time (3pm in Malaysia)
• Jiri Lehecka vs [8] Valentin Vacherot: not before 6pm Tokyo time (5pm in Malaysia)

Lehecka beat qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo to reach the last four, and Vacherot beat Arthur Fils.

After these two ATP 500 events, the top players head to the Shanghai Masters, which starts this week.

Key takeaways

• Djokovic beat Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 32-0 at the China Open.
• He plays Medvedev in Monday's semi-final; de Minaur faces Hurkacz.
• Alcaraz reached the Tokyo semi-finals when Shapovalov retired at 7-6(3), 2-1.
• Alcaraz plays fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar, not before 3pm Malaysian time today.

FAQ

Has Novak Djokovic ever lost a match at the China Open? No. His win over Zverev made him 32-0 at the tournament, which the ATP says is the best start by a man at any tour-level event in the Open Era.

Who is Alcaraz playing in the Tokyo semi-finals? Jaume Munar, not before 4pm Tokyo time (3pm Malaysian time) on Monday 5 October.

Why did Shapovalov retire? He appeared to injure his hip and stopped at 7-6(3), 2-1 down in the quarter-final.

Sources: ATP Tour, Tennis Canada, TennisTemple, Al Jazeera