BEIJING (AP) — Novak Djokovic secured his seventh China Open title after Alex de Minaur retired injured in the final on Tuesday. Both players requested medical timeouts following the first set, with De Minaur experiencing a groin issue before withdrawing after winning the opening game of the second set. Djokovic was leading 7-6 (3), 0-1 at the time of the retirement.

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This victory improved Djokovic’s record at the China Open to 34-0. “I always have high expectations of myself and always want to visualize myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing, a place where I have never lost,” Djokovic stated. He returned to Beijing for the first time since winning the title in 2015, marking his 102nd ATP Tour title, now just one behind Roger Federer, while Jimmy Connors leads with 109 titles in the Open era.

Djokovic had previously lost his only final this year to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. He noted, “This year has been quite challenging for me: Lots of physical and health issues. I know that if I'm feeling well and striking the ball well, I can compete at the highest level. This week has been evidence of that.” Throughout the tournament, he defeated three top-10 players for the first time in three years, overcoming U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a spectator with the ball.

De Minaur, ranked No. 9, initially kept Djokovic at bay with aggressive groundstrokes in the first set, saving two break points before unforced errors led to the loss in the tiebreak. He expressed regret to the fans: “I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match. I didn’t want to finish like this, so I’m really sorry.” He advanced to the final after Hubert Hurkacz retired injured during their match.

In women's tournament news, 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova upset second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets during the third round and then defeated Sinja Kraus 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in the round of 16. Fifth-seeded Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova was defeated by 19th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-2, while seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova triumphed over 12th-seeded Naomi Osaka 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7).