Djokovic wins seventh China Open title, moves to 102 and eyes a record fifth Shanghai crown
Novak Djokovic's Beijing title takes him to 102 tour-level titles, one behind Roger Federer, and he now heads to Shanghai chasing a record fifth title there.
Novak Djokovic did not need to finish the China Open final on 6 October. Alex de Minaur retired after losing the first set in Beijing, handing Djokovic his seventh title at the event, according to ATP Tour.
Seven Beijing titles and a 34-0 record
The China Open is an ATP 500 event, and ATP Tour notes that Djokovic is 34-0 in Beijing, meaning he has not lost a match there.
102 titles, and a climb in the Race to Turin
ATP Tour's count puts Djokovic on 102 tour-level titles. Federer's 103 is second on the Open Era list, behind Jimmy Connors' 109.
| Player | Tour-level titles (per ATP Tour) |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Connors | 109 |
| Roger Federer | 103 |
| Novak Djokovic | 102 |
The Beijing run also lifted Djokovic six places in the Live Race to Turin. ATP Tour says he is now 9th with 2,840 points, which puts him inside the top ten of the race for the season-ending event.
Shanghai: a fifth title and a crowded field
ATP Tour's scouting report says Djokovic is a four-time Shanghai champion, with titles in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018, and is seeking a record fifth. He opens against either Hubert Hurkacz or James Duckworth, the report adds.
The top seed is Alexander Zverev, who has a Tour-leading 58 wins this season and two Grand Slam titles in 2026, per the same report. Zverev is chasing his first Masters 1000 title since the 2024 Paris Masters. ATP Tour lists Ben Shelton as the third seed after he withdrew from Tokyo. ATP Tour also notes that Carlos Alcaraz, ranked No. 3, arrives as the Tokyo champion, having returned at the US Open after about four and a half months out with a right wrist injury. Defending champion Valentin Vacherot is drawn to meet Alcaraz in the third round, according to the scouting report.
First-round results
Shanghai's opening round, as reported by ATP Tour (Mannarino's score is the one at which Basilashvili retired):
| Winner | Beat | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Altmaier | Holger Rune | 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 |
| Matteo Berrettini | Aleksandar Kovacevic | 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4 |
| Tomas Machac | Zhang Zhizhen | 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 |
| Arthur Fery | Marin Cilic | 7-6(2), 6-1 |
| Roman Safiullin (Q) | Rinky Hijikata | 7-5, 6-3 |
| Adrian Mannarino | Nikoloz Basilashvili | 3-6, 2-2, retired |
The headline upset was Altmaier's. Ranked No. 67, he saved a match point against Holger Rune, who is back from a ruptured Achilles and was playing his third tour-level event since returning, ATP Tour reports. Altmaier's reward is Shelton, whom ATP Tour describes as World No. 4 and who reached his first major final at the US Open.
Matteo Berrettini recovered from dropping a first-set tiebreak, hitting 23 aces and facing no break points, per ATP Tour; Brandon Nakashima is next. Tomas Machac also came from a set down and now meets Alexander Bublik.
Elsewhere on the China swing
On the women's side, Elise Mertens beat third seed Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in the Beijing fourth round, her first win over Gauff in six meetings, per WTA. Gauff, the defending Wuhan champion, then withdrew from that event, saying: “After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.” The WTA reports that Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova will also miss Wuhan, which starts on 12 October.