Zverev Opens Beijing With Win

Top seed Alexander Zverev, playing his first tournament since winning the 2026 US Open, beat Cameron Norrie 7⁠–⁠6(7⁠–⁠1), 6⁠–⁠4 on Thursday, 1 October, in the first round of the China Open in Beijing (TNT Sports; AAP). Zverev took the opening-set tiebreak 7⁠–⁠1, then broke at 5⁠–⁠4 in the second set to close the match (TNT Sports; AAP). On the same Beijing Thursday, fifth seed Alex de Minaur beat Mariano Navone 7⁠–⁠6(7⁠–⁠4), 6⁠–⁠2, and fourth seed Flavio Cobolli lost to Roman Safiullin 6⁠–⁠3, 6⁠–⁠2 (AAP).

The China Open is an ATP 500 outdoor hard-court stop in Beijing — a mid-tier week below the Masters 1000 events and the Grand Slams. A tiebreak is the first-to-seven shootout, win by two, used when a set is locked at six games each; Zverev’s 7⁠–⁠1 margin in that shootout meant he raced through the decisive points after the first set stayed on serve (TNT Sports). A break of serve — winning the opponent’s service game — at 5⁠–⁠4 in the second set gave him the match without a third set (AAP). TNT Sports’ live board listed Zverev as the No. 1 seed against Britain’s Norrie on the Capital Group Diamond court (TNT Sports).

Zverev’s US Open title in New York remains the season’s headline for the German. He beat American Ben Shelton in four sets in that final and arrives in Beijing as the clear favorite in his half of the draw (prior US Open result; AAP framing of first event since the title). Norrie, a left-hander and former world No. 8, is a dangerous opener on hard courts; Thursday’s scoreline shows he stayed with Zverev through a full first set before the tiebreak tilted heavily, then could not hold off the late break in set two (TNT Sports; AAP).

De Minaur’s win on the same day underscored Australia’s presence in Beijing. The world No. 10 and fifth seed needed five minutes short of two hours to beat Argentinian Mariano Navone, ranked No. 45, 7⁠–⁠6(7⁠–⁠4), 6⁠–⁠2 (AAP). De Minaur saved nine of 10 break points against him while Navone escaped only four of seven; both held serve through the first set until the tiebreak, where de Minaur led 3⁠–⁠1, saw Navone level at 3⁠–⁠3, then won both of Navone’s next service points for a 6⁠–⁠3 cushion that proved decisive (AAP). Navone broke to open the second set, but de Minaur broke straight back and added breaks for 4⁠–⁠2 and for the match. De Minaur hit six aces to Navone’s one and held edges on first-serve points (70 percent to 60) and second-serve points (63 to 48) (AAP). He next faces French qualifier Quentin Halys, ranked No. 50, who beat Peru’s Ignacio Buse 6⁠–⁠1, 7⁠–⁠6(7⁠–⁠3) (AAP).

Cobolli’s exit was the day’s biggest Beijing seed shock. The Italian fourth seed fell 6⁠–⁠3, 6⁠–⁠2 to Russia’s Roman Safiullin, ranked No. 84 (AAP). Safiullin had reached the Hangzhou semi-finals the previous week before losing to Daniil Medvedev; Thursday’s straight-sets win keeps him rolling into the China Open second round (prior Hangzhou results; AAP).

Zverev’s Beijing opener was the first step of a China swing after the Flushing Meadows title. At press time the draw’s next round for the top seed had not been hard-sourced for this page; the print line is the straight-sets win over Norrie and the same-day results around him (TNT Sports; AAP; ATP Tour). The China Open continues through the weekend in Beijing as the Asian hard-court swing builds toward the season’s final stretch and the race to Turin.