Djokovic, 30-0 in Beijing, faces Bu as Zverev eyes quarter-final clash

Thirty matches, thirty wins. Novak Djokovic takes one of the most remarkable records in tennis into the second round of the China Open on Friday night, when he faces Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete in the evening session on Diamond Court. The six-time Beijing champion has never lost at the tournament, but his body is now the bigger question.

A winning return, with warning signs

Djokovic beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2) on Wednesday in his first match since his shock first-round defeat to Mariano Navone at the US Open on August 30. It was also his first tour-level win since Wimbledon in July, and his first appearance in Beijing since 2015. The six titles he won there between 2009 and 2015 had left him with a 29-0 record before this week.

The win over Borges did not come easily. The 39-year-old Serbian, who struggled with shoulder and back problems in New York, used his racquet to stretch his back between games, according to AFP, and took a medical timeout so a trainer could work on his right shoulder. He held on through the second-set tie-break and won in an hour and 50 minutes.

Bu, who beat Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in three sets in the first round, will have a home crowd behind him. That crowd also loves Djokovic, who has a large following in China.

Zverev leads a draw without Sinner

The China Open is without its defending champion. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who won the title in 2023 and 2025, withdrew last week with the right knee injury that has kept him off the tour since his Wimbledon triumph in July. Sinner said the knee was not yet where he wanted it to be and promised to do everything possible to return soon, according to the ATP.

That makes Alexander Zverev the top seed. The German, champion at Roland Garros and the US Open this season, opened on Thursday with a 7-6(1), 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie, hitting 15 aces. It was his ninth straight win over the Briton. "I'm really surprised and really happy with how I played," Zverev said, according to AFP, noting that he had arrived from the Laver Cup in Europe only two days earlier. Next up is China's Shang Juncheng, a wildcard ranked No. 250, who beat Sebastián Báez in three sets.

Wildcard Zheng becomes first Chinese champion in Beijing, beats Andreeva

The ATP's draw preview shows Zverev and Djokovic on course to meet in the quarter-finals. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 9-5 and won their most recent meeting at Roland Garros in 2025. With Sinner absent, Zverev also has a chance to gain ground in the race for year-end No. 1.

Early exits for Auger-Aliassime and Cobolli

The opening rounds have already cost the draw two seeds. Karen Khachanov beat second seed Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 in 71 minutes. "You just focus again from zero... you just try to keep the momentum going," the Russian said afterwards. Fourth seed Flavio Cobolli lost 6-3, 6-2 to Roman Safiullin, and seventh seed Learner Tien went out to Hubert Hurkacz 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Friday's programme also features third seed Daniil Medvedev against Pablo Carreño Busta. Djokovic and Bu are scheduled to follow Aryna Sabalenka's match against Renata Zarazúa at 8:30pm local time. Follow every result on our Beijing 2026 tournament page.