Djokovic claims 102nd career title as De Minaur retires in China Open final

Novak Djokovic beat Alex de Minaur to win the China Open in Beijing on 6 October 2026 after the Australian retired injured, securing the 102nd singles title of his career. De Minaur quit the final with an apparent left thigh problem while trailing 7-6 (7-3) 0-1.

Djokovic has won at least one singles title every year since 2006, making this his 21st consecutive season with a title. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was contesting only his second final of 2026 after losing January's Australian Open showpiece to Carlos Alcaraz.

The 39-year-old led De Minaur, described in reports as a player 12 years his junior, 7-6 (7-3) 0-1 when the Australian stopped the match with the apparent left thigh issue. Tournament coverage noted the retirement occurred early in the second set.

On his route to the Beijing final, Djokovic beat world number two Alexander Zverev. In the semi-final he was a set and a break up on third seed Daniil Medvedev when the Russian was defaulted from their match.

Djokovic's victory extended his strong record at the event; he is on a 34-match winning streak at the China Open and has now claimed the trophy seven times. Those figures were highlighted by organisers and commentators in coverage of the tournament.

In Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz won the Japan Open by coming back from an early break down to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, successfully defending his title. The match result completed Alcaraz's week in Tokyo as champion.

Alcaraz only returned to competitive tennis at August's US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing in five tight sets to Ben Shelton. The Tokyo victory was his third title of the season, following the Australian Open in January, which completed his career Grand Slam, and February's Qatar Open; "It's extra special after my injury," the 25-year-old said. "It was a tough week that I didn't find my best tennis, my best level, but I did find the good solutions. "I think that's what matters in the end."

The China Open success took Djokovic to 102 career singles titles, leaving him behind only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the all-time list.