Novak Djokovic to face Nuno Borges in China Open first round on September 30

Novak Djokovic will meet Nuno Borges in the first round of the ATP China Open at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing on September 30, 2026. The 39-year-old Serbian enters the match as a six-time champion at the event with a perfect 29-0 record and is playing in Beijing for the first time since 2015.

Djokovic arrives in Beijing after a surprise first-round exit at the US Open and with the ATP 500 tournament described as a chance to reset before the rest of the autumn swing. Having dropped outside the top-10 ATP rankings (to #12), he also aims to climb the standings to boost his chances of not facing Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz before the semi-finals in Grand Slam events. Borges will be seeking the first win of his career over Djokovic; their only previous meeting came in the quarter-finals of the Athens Open last year and ended in a straight-set victory for Djokovic.

The match is listed with Djokovic as the sixth seed and will be played on the outdoor hardcourts of the China National Tennis Center in Beijing. The contest is listed to begin at 7:00 pm local time and 4:30 pm in India; elsewhere the match is listed as starting at 10:00 am local time (7:30 am IST).

Indian viewers can watch the contest live on Tennis TV and Fancode. In the United Kingdom the match will be available on Sky Sports and streaming partner Discovery Plus, while viewers in the United States can see the action on ESPN and Tennis Channel with streaming on ESPN+ and Fubo.

Fans worldwide are advised to follow their respective broadcasting channels for coverage of the encounter. The tie remains Novak Djokovic’s opening match in the China Open first round on September 30, part of the ATP 500 tournament that precedes the remainder of the autumn swing.