Six-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic has reached his seventh final in Beijing, winning by disqualification against third seed Daniil Medvedev on Monday.
Playing some of his best tennis at the China Open, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic moved into his 146th tour-level final after Daniil Medvedev hit a backhand into the crowd, striking a spectator in the eye.
As a result, the former US Open champion was defaulted from the semifinal when the Serbian was serving for the match at 7-5, 5-3, 15-15.
"Bit in shock after that one. An incredible battle, and grateful to be heading to another China Open final. Most importantly, wishing the injured spectator a speedy recovery," Djokovic wrote on his X account.
"Also sending thoughts to @DaniilMedwed. I’ve been there."
On a roll, the 39-year-old has struck the ball at a level of his own, bouncing back from his physical struggles in his first appearance at the event after an 11-year absence.
The players battled in lengthy baseline exchanges throughout a two-hour, 29-minute clash of titans.
Djokovic became a wall on the other side of the net, fending off 16 of 18 break points he faced through the high-level encounter.
Medvedev discussed the unfortunate incident after the match, asserting: "I feel terribly sorry for him actually and I just hope he's okay. That's the most important. The rest, we move on. I just really care about him right now. Hopefully, I can meet him and make up for it somehow."
Further stressing: "It was 100 percent an accident. You can see that I didn't hit the ball in anger… The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere so it wouldn't go out of the court."
Moreover, the former world No.1, the man with the most wins at the tournament (29), has gone further, extending his unbeaten run to an outstanding 33-0 record in Beijing.
“I was three points away from the win," the Belgrade native outlined in his on-court interview. "It was a gruelling battle, and I definitely didn’t want [a] third set. It was looking like that.
"I don’t know how many break points I saved; it was crazy. It’s always a big battle with Daniil, and it’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well in slower conditions with a big serve. But we move on.”
En route to his first ATP 500 final since 2022, the Paris Olympics gold medalist ousted two-time major champion Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, courtesy of a stellar performance in the last two sets.
Previously, the sixth seed toppled wildcard Yunchaokete Bu 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 to launch his campaign at the venue.
On Tuesday, he will play fifth seed Alex de Minaur for the title; the Australian player is bidding to claim his second crown this season.
De Minaur moved into his maiden China Open championship match after Pole Hubert Hurkacz was forced to retire in the second set due to an abductor injury.
The world No. 9, who was leading 6-4, 3-2, commented: “It felt like every decision I was making was the right one.
“The places I was leaning on my returns were the right ones, and I committed to my shots.”
Djokovic leads the 27-year-old 3-1 in their series; their most recent meeting took place at Wimbledon last year.