With a unique tale and another trophy, Novak Djokovic departed the Chinese city. Without needing to save a single match point in either his semifinal or final, the Serb won a record-breaking seventh China Open championship.
The final four were the most talked-about of the week. After Djokovic’s opponent, Daniil Medvedev, was defaulted for striking a spectator with the ball, Djokovic was declared the winner. Such an act is treated sternly by tennis rules, and Djokovic’s disqualification put an end to the contest and guarantyd him a spot in the final.
On Tuesday, the former world No. 1 faced Alex de Minaur in the championship match. After a close tiebreak, Djokovic won the first set 7-6 (7-3), forcing the Australian to withdraw early from the second set. Djokovic won his 102nd championship in his career as a consequence.
Few winners would decide to gather a trophy in this manner. Djokovic never had to defend a match point in either the semifinal or the final because they did not go all the way through. It was a close match, and he also won the only set that was finished in the final.
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Djokovic completed his tasks on the court, but he had little control over the events that determined the tournament’s outcome. 102 career titles and seven China Open championships speak for themselves.
The semi-final ended in despair for Medvedev. Regardless of the motivation, hitting a ball in the direction of a crowd is the kind of error that referees cannot ignore, and the penalty cost him both the game and his chance at the title.
The episode is a reminder of how thin the line is between competitive frustration and conduct that brings an immediate default, and how quickly a single moment can change a tournament.
The win adds another entry to a record that already stands among the greatest in the sport. Reaching 102 career titles puts Djokovic in rare company, and his hold on the China Open in Beijing is as firm as ever. Seven titles at one event shows how well he reads the conditions there.
For De Minaur, the week ends on a bittersweet note. He reached the final and pushed the champion into a tiebreak before being unable to continue.