Novak Djokovic rallies from a set down to beat Yunchaokete Bu; reaches China Open QFs and stays 31-0 in Beijing

Novak Djokovic refused to let a hostile night and a set deficit end the longest unbeaten run of his China Open career. The six-time Beijing champion rallied from a set down to beat Chinese wild card Yunchaokete Bu 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 on Friday. He reached his seventh China Open quarterfinal and lifted his record in the Chinese capital to a perfect 31-0.

The 39-year-old is back at the ATP 500 for the first time since 2015, when he won a record sixth title. This is also his third quarterfinal of the 2026 season, after the Australian Open and Wimbledon. The match lasted two hours and 52 minutes in front of 15,000 fans at the Beijing Olympic Tennis Centre.

How Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down

Chinese soil usually brings sharp tennis out of Novak Djokovic. On Friday it had to. Yunchaokete Bu, 24 and ranked 104th, came out flat and fearless. The home wild card broke for 4-3 and served out the opening set, putting the 24-time Grand Slam champion a set down in Beijing for the first time.

The crowd stayed loud through a messy second set. Novak Djokovic broke for 3-1, only for Yunchaokete Bu to break straight back. The Chinese player then held a tricky 12th game to force a tiebreak. Novak Djokovic was only a few points from defeat late in that set before he raised his level.

It was the same pattern as his 6-3, 7-6(2) opening win over Nuno Borges. Locked at 2-all in the tiebreak, Novak Djokovic ran off five points in a row to take the set 7-2. Level again, he swung more freely and raced to a 5-1 lead in the decider. His 15th ace, drilled wide, brought up three match points. On the second, he opened the court with another wide serve and finished with a crosscourt backhand winner.

Yunchaokete Bu had reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2024 and was trying to become the first Chinese player to beat Novak Djokovic. He mixed pace with short slices and came forward, but the errors arrived once the finish line was in sight.

The 31-0 Beijing record, and what Rafael Nadal did at Roland Garros

The win ties Novak Djokovic with Rafael Nadal for the best start to a single event by a man in the Open Era. Rafael Nadal won his first 31 matches at Roland Garros before Robin Soderling ended that streak in the 2009 fourth round, Nadal’s first French Open defeat.

Novak Djokovic can take the record alone if he wins his quarterfinal. He will face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Chinese wild card Shang Juncheng, also known as Jerry Shang. Novak Djokovic leads Alexander Zverev 9-5, with their most recent meeting a Djokovic win at Roland Garros in 2025. He is also the oldest ATP 500 quarterfinalist since the series began in 2009.

What Novak Djokovic said after the win

“I had to play very well. I had to serve well in the right moments. It was quite a breeze from one end of the court. I played kind of easier with the wind in my back than it facing you, so most of the breaks came from the side with the wind. He was so solid. I struggled to really find holes in his game and was hitting his spots really well with his serve. He was mixing things up really well in the rallies from the back of the court with some short slices and coming in. Credit to him for playing well. The atmosphere was amazing. Packed stadium again for three hours, what a match to be a part of,” Novak Djokovic said.

He also credited the crowd that spent much of the night behind Yunchaokete Bu. “I had to pinch myself. I honestly did not expect that, playing against a Chinese player. I’m very thankful to them. I try to give them good performances on the court.”

A seventh Beijing title is still three wins away. First, he has to stay perfect against whoever comes through Saturday’s other quarterfinal.