Arabic version: دجوكوفيتش يعود ليهزم زفيريف في بكين

According to BBC News, Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-4 6-4 and reach the China Open semi-finals. The 39-year-old Serbian will face third seed Daniil Medvedev in the last four.

In their first meeting in just under 16 months, Djokovic initially struggled to deal with Zverev’s power. The world number two capitalised on a break in the opening game to take the first set, but Djokovic recovered by breaking at 5-4 in the second to level the match.

There was little to separate the players in the deciding set before Djokovic struck again at 5-4 on Zverev’s serve to seal the victory. The result extended Djokovic’s unbeaten run in Beijing to 32 matches and moved him closer to a seventh China Open title.

Djokovic’s win also damaged Zverev’s attempt to finish the year as world number one. The 24-time Grand Slam winner said the chance to compete with the best players in front of 15,000 people remains a major motivation, while acknowledging that form and fitness have made 2026 difficult.

Medvedev secured his semi-final place by defeating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Djokovic and Medvedev are scheduled to meet on Monday.