Djokovic Survives Scare in Beijing

Novak Djokovic beat Chinese wild card Bu Yunchaokete 4⁠–⁠6, 7⁠–⁠6(2), 6⁠–⁠2 on Friday, 2 October, in the second round of the China Open, an ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, and kept a perfect 31⁠–⁠0 record at the event (ATP Tour; Sky Sports). The sixth-seeded Serbian, 39, was a few points from defeat late in the second set before winning the tiebreak 7⁠–⁠2 and closing the third. The match lasted two hours and 52 minutes in front of about 15,000 fans (ATP Tour). The win tied Rafael Nadal’s Open Era mark for the best start to a single tournament among men — Nadal went 31⁠–⁠0 at the French Open — and was Djokovic’s first China Open appearance since he won the title there in 2015, his sixth trophy in Beijing (ATP Tour). Bu, 24 and ranked about 104, was trying to become the first Chinese player to beat Djokovic (ATP Tour). Djokovic could meet Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals if Zverev beats Shang Juncheng on Saturday (ATP Tour).

An ATP 500 is a rung of the men’s tour below the biggest events, named for the ranking points that go to the champion. A wild card is an invitation into the draw outside the usual ranking cutoff. A seed is a placement that keeps higher-ranked players apart early; Djokovic was the sixth seed. At 6⁠–⁠6 a tiebreak decides the set, first to seven points by a margin of two, so 7⁠–⁠6(2) means he won that tiebreak 7⁠–⁠2. The Open Era is tennis since 1968, when professionals were admitted to the majors (ATP Tour).

Sky Sports reported that Bu made Djokovic save three break points at 3⁠–⁠3 in the first set, and that a one-handed backhand long cost Djokovic the set, 6⁠–⁠4. ATP Tour said he then gave back a second-set break he had earned, and was only a few points from defeat late in the set. Sky Sports and Sportstar both reported treatment beside the court; Sportstar, citing AFP, said the timeout was for his torso after that break went back. He still won the tiebreak. “I had to play very well. I had to serve well in the right moments,” he said (ATP Tour).

A breeze ran the length of the court. Djokovic said the ball was easier with the wind at his back, and that most breaks came on that side. “He was so solid. I struggled to really find holes in his game and was hitting his spots really well with his serve,” he said of Bu, who mixed short slices — underspun shots that sit up or die short — with approaches to the net (ATP Tour). The third set changed the pattern. Sky Sports said Djokovic went 4⁠–⁠0 up. Sportstar reported four games in a row and a closing backhand winner. ATP Tour called the set clinical. It finished 6⁠–⁠2.

The 31⁠–⁠0 record, on the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, dates from before this week: this was his first China Open since the 2015 title, a sixth Beijing trophy (ATP Tour). Nadal’s 31⁠–⁠0 at Roland Garros, the French Open, had been the Open Era mark for the best start by a man at one event. Friday tied that mark. Bu, a 2024 semi-finalist here, was meeting Djokovic for the first time and did not become the first Chinese player to beat him. “I had to pinch myself,” Djokovic said of a crowd on his side against a Chinese opponent. “I honestly did not expect that. I’m very thankful to them.”

Djokovic is into the quarter-finals. The opponent is not known: ATP Tour said he could face Zverev if Zverev beats Shang Juncheng on Saturday. Djokovic leads that series 9⁠–⁠5, including their last match at the French Open in 2025. ATP Tour also called him the oldest ATP 500 quarter-finalist since the series began in 2009. The score that put him there is 4⁠–⁠6, 7⁠–⁠6(2), 6⁠–⁠2, with Beijing still perfect at 31⁠–⁠0.