Novak Djokovic has emphatically sealed his opening win at this week's China Open in his first foray to the Far East in a number of years. The Serbian ace saw off Nuno Borges in straight sets, but to say it was easy would be lying.
In the opening set, Djokovic dominated and sped through into the lead. He broke at his first opportunity to do so at 2-0 up and then held for 3-0. Borges finally held at 3-1 before Djokovic held at 4-1.
Djokovic though held firm as Borges had two chances to break at 4-2 down and didn't take them and when you don't take them against the all-time great you get punished as Borges soon found out as Djokovic averted danger to speed through 5-2.
The set was then his at 6-3 as he held to seal it on his second set point. The second was when he faced more adversity. It was a topsy turvy affair with no breaks on the cards as Borges stepped it up and Djokovic concerningly fell backwards.
Djokovic at 3-2 down had to take an MTO for physical discomfort as has often been the case for Djokovic in recent months. But he managed to returned and held. It went all the way to a tie-break.
At 6-6, Borges after stepping up all set would've fancied his chances of taking it all the way to a decider. But that didn't happen. Djokovic being a tie-break master stepped it up one more time as he went 5-1 up and despite Borges breaking, Djokovic broke two more times to seal the win and claimed it 7-2 in the tie-break.
Medvedev likely awaits
He now plays Yunchokate Bu who took down Juan Manuel Cerundolo earlier today. While Jan-Lennard Struff or Daniil Medvedev could then await.
Struff saw off Thiago Agustin Tirante earlier, while Medvedev is yet to play Pablo Carreno-Busta. Top seed Alexander Zverev will open his campaign tomorrow against Cameron Norrie.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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