A Long-Awaited Return to Winning Ways
Novak Djokovic finally got back in the winners column at the 2026 China Open in Beijing, defeating Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) to record his first match win since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals back in July. The result extended his extraordinary unbeaten run at this specific tournament to 30 consecutive victories, a remarkable stat given that this was his first appearance at the event since 2015, a full 11 years ago.
The 39-year-old Serb, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, was far from his sharpest, particularly in the second set. He was spotted using his racquet to stretch his back between games and required a medical timeout for treatment to his right shoulder. Those moments underscored comments he made back in August, when he disclosed that an underlying health condition has been causing him problems in hot and humid weather for the past couple of years. Despite all of that, Djokovic found a way to close out the match in one hour and 50 minutes, which is very much on brand for a competitor who has built his career on mental resilience.
What Comes Next in Beijing
With the first-round hurdle cleared, Djokovic now faces Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete in the second round. The prize on offer is a seventh China Open title, which would be a record all to himself. He has already won the tournament six times, with victories stretching from 2009 through to 2015.
Elsewhere in the draw, Britain's Katie Boulter advanced with a confident 6-3, 6-4 win over Japan's Mai Hontama and next meets Czech seventh seed Karolina Muchova. TennisDraw users leaning on Djokovic's Beijing pedigree will be feeling confident after watching him dig deep in round one.
