China Open: Djokovic pushed all the way by Bu, Zverev awaits in the quarter-final

The physio came on court in the middle of the match. A set down against the Chinese wild card Yunchaokete Bu, ranked 104th, Novak Djokovic came through 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 for his 31st straight win at the China Open, a tournament where he remains unbeaten.

“I had to play really well and serve well at the right moments,” he told Sky Sports. “He was very solid and I struggled to find gaps in his game.” The second-set tie-break, won 7 points to 2, turned the match. The next set ran away from Bu, 6-2.

Serve at the moments that matter

Djokovic spoke in August about a persistent health problem. In Beijing he is winning, for now, with the most reliable part of his game: serving when the rally heats up. That is what he says he had to find against Bu, and it will be his first resource against Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final.

Zverev arrives with the Race in hand

Zverev comes to this match in a position of strength. Jannik Sinner, who has not played since beating the German in the Wimbledon final in July, has skipped the China Open and the Shanghai Masters, which starts on 7 October, because of a knee injury. Zverev leads the Race to Turin by 800 points, 8,750 to 7,950.

The women’s draw has already lost its top two seeds before the round of 16, a first since 2015. Elena Rybakina, the new world No 1, went out on Saturday against Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th; Aryna Sabalenka followed on Sunday, beaten 6-4, 6-3 by the Czech Nikola Bartunkova, 20 years old and ranked 34th (our match report).

This Zverev-Djokovic quarter-final will come down to freshness. Zverev spent 55 minutes on court to qualify, Djokovic three sets, a tie-break and a visit from the physio a few days earlier. If his serve holds the big points as it did against Bu, the match stays open. That is the condition, and it is a narrow one.