Novak Djokovic hoisted the China Open trophy for a record seventh time with a 7-6, 0-1 (retired) victory over Alex de Minaur of Australia on the hard courts of Beijing on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old de Minaur retired early in the second set after a visit from a trainer for a groin injury. He won the first game of the set before calling it quits.
Djokovic moved to 34-0 at the tournament, which he competed in for the first time since 2015.
It also was the 102nd ATP Tour win for Djokovic, 39, from Serbia. He trails only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).
The sixth-seeded Djokovic defeated top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal round and third-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal. Medvedev defaulted late in the second set, with Djokovic leading, after he hit a ball into the stands and it struck a spectator in the eye.
A winner of 24 Grand Slam trophies, Djokovic is the first man in the Open Era to win on the tour in 21 consecutive seasons.
Japan Open
Carlos Alcaraz defended his title in Tokyo with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 defeat of Czech Jiri Lehecka in just 96 minutes
It is the tour-level victory since he won in Doha in February. He missed more than four months from April to August because of a wrist injury.
Alcaraz, of Spain, now is 21-0 at the ATP 500 level since he lost in the final in Barcelona in 2025.
In the match, Alcaraz won 85 percent (33/39) of points behind his first serve,
–Field Level Media
