Djokovic seals 7th China Open title after De Minaur retires injured in final

BEIJING (AP) — Novak Djokovic was handed the China Open trophy after Alex de Minaur retired injured in the final on Tuesday.

Both players asked for medical timeouts after the opening set. De Minaur had a groin issue and quit after winning the opening game of the second set.

The 39-year-old Djokovic won 7-6 (3), 0-1 and extended his perfect record at the China Open to 34-0.

“I always have high expectations of myself and always want to visualise myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing, a place where I have never lost,” Djokovic said. “But I was also aware that reality is a little bit different these days.”

He returned to Beijing for the first time since his previous title in 2015.

His seventh China Open title was also his 102nd on the ATP tour. He’s one behind Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors leads with 109 in the Open era.

Djokovic lost his only other final this year to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.

“This year has been quite challenging for me: Lots of physical and health issues,” he said. “I was just trying to find a good feeling on the court. I know that I’m feeling well and striking the ball well, I can compete at the highest level. This week has been evidence of that.”

Djokovic beat three top-10 players in an event for the first time in three years. He passed U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the Russian struck a spectator with the ball and was disqualified.

No. 9-ranked De Minaur kept No. 11 Djokovic at bay with aggressive groundstrokes in the first set and saved two break points before unforced errors cost him the tiebreak. He hit 11 winners compared to three by Djokovic.

“I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match. I didn’t want to finish like this, so I’m really sorry,” De Minaur said.

He advanced to the final when Hubert Hurkacz retired injured in their second set. De Minaur was seeking his first Beijing trophy and a second title of the year following Rotterdam in February.

Bartunkova on a winning wave

After stunning second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the third round, 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova defeated Sinja Kraus 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in the round of 16 of the women’s tournament.

Also, fifth-seeded Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova was upset by 19th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova overcame a second set scare to knock out 12th-seeded Naomi Osaka 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7).

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