Novak Djokovic refused to let an 11-year absence or a hostile night crowd end his perfect run in Beijing.
Trailing a set and only a few points from defeat late in the second, the former world No. 1 found his best tennis when it mattered most, edging Chinese wild card Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 to reach the China Open quarter-finals.
The match lasted two hours and 52 minutes under the lights in front of roughly 15,000 fans. Bu, the world No. 104 who reached the semi-finals here in 2024, played with freedom and pace, striking cleanly from the corners and threatening to become the first Chinese player to beat Djokovic. He took the opening set and briefly held the upper hand in the second after Djokovic failed to convert an early break. Yet the 39-year-old steadied himself in the tie-break, raising his level sharply to claim it 7-2 and force a decider.
From there the Serbian locked in. He drew errors with depth and consistency, racing through the third set 6-2 to close out the victory. The win lifts his China Open record to 31-0, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, matching Rafael Nadal’s 31-0 start at Roland Garros as the best opening streak by a man at a single event in the Open Era. Djokovic last competed in Beijing in 2015, when he claimed a record sixth title at the ATP 500 event. He arrives this year as a 101-time tour-level champion and the oldest quarter-finalist in the series’ history.
Djokovic could next face Alexander Zverev. He leads the German 9-5 overall, including a win at Roland Garros in 2025. Zverev plays Shang Juncheng on Saturday.
Daniil Medvedev continued a strong run with a 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta. The Russian has won five straight matches after taking the title in Hangzhou and sits eighth in the race to the ATP Finals.
Karen Khachanov followed his upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime by beating Alex Molcan 7-5, 6-3 and will meet Hubert Hurkacz in the last eight.
