Tennis

The 29-year-old German has won two Grand Slam titles in 2026 and is confirmed to finish the year as the ATP Year-End World No. 1.

Zverev's route to the top spot opened after Italian Jannik Sinner had not played since beating him in the Wimbledon final on July 12 due to a knee injury.

The final of the tournament will take place on January 13 at Rod Laver Arena before the Australian Open main draw runs from January 17 to 31.

With this win, 39-year-old Djokovic has extended his perfect record at the China Open to 34-0.

Medvedev is not the first tennis player to be defaulted after hitting someone with an object on court; several players have faced similar penalties over the years, including Djokovic himself.

The defending champion will next face fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar, who beat French qualifier Kyrian Jacquet.

Six-time China Open champion Djokovic holds a 9-5 head-to-head record against top seed Zverev.

The 39-year-old Djokovic sealed the win on the second of three match points with a crosscourt backhand.

It was the 24-time Grand Slam champion's first appearance at the event since winning the ATP 500 tournament in 2015.

Team Europe lifted the trophy in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024 before adding this year's crown

The world no. 3's US Open title defence came to an end in a gruelling ​3:33 a.m. finish earlier this month.

The home fans were desperate to see Shelton end a 23-year American men's Grand Slam drought but the eighth seed never found his top form in his first major final.

This time, Rybakina stopped Sabalenka's 19-match winning streak at the US Open.