Novak Djokovic doesn't normally have easy matches anymore. Maybe the talent level of the ATP has caught up to him a bit, or maybe he is just a bit below the physical fitness level that carried him to 24 Grand Slam titles. No matter how fit he was in the second round of the China Open, Yunchaokete Bu was going to give him a difficult time.
That is because Bu might have been playing the best match he has ever played. He played so well, in fact, that he looked like a top-10 player and not one ranked 104 and with a career record of 26-39. His bombastic groundstrokes and massive serve kept Djokovic at bay, forcing the great Serbian to increase his form.
After a tight opening to the first set, and with Bu getting to shots that few expected him to, until he turned the point around with a huge forehand, it was the Chinese player, performing exceedingly well in front of his home-nation's fans in Beijing, who got the first break after a game that lasted 11 minutes. He was stunningly in the lead 4-3 and on serve.
Novak Djokovic overcomes Yunchaekete Bu in the second round of the China Open
Djokovic wouldn't truly challenge Bu's serve the rest of the set , and the Chinese player had the advantage by winning set one 6-4. There would ultimately be no quick rebound for Djokovic in the second set, either.
The Serb did break Bu to lead 3-1, but Bu broke directly back and then held, and the set was back to 3-all. Both players were serving with brutal precision, and each had more than eight aces and no double faults deep into set two. Each was also winning more than 70 percent of their first serves.
As Bu had already won the first set and wasn't dipping in form, Djokovic had to continue to hold and hope the tie-break went his way. The Serb had won 30 straight matches over the course of his wonderful career at the China Open, but he was on the verge of being pushed out in the second round in 2026 in Beijing.
The second set finished in a tie-break, and once there, Djokovic proved why he is possibly the best player ever in such situations. He dominated, taking the breaker 7-2. One might have rightly wondered if Bu, playing so well, might lose some steam after still having to go to a third set to decide who wins the match.
He did. Bu was no match for the greatness of Djokovic in the final set, as the Serb jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two breaks of Bu. The Serb took the third set 6-2 and won his 31st straight match at the tournament.
Next for Novak Djokovic is likely an extremely difficult matchup. He will face Alexander Zverev, who has a real chance of reaching No. 1 by the end of the year, with current No. 1 Jannik Sinner ailing from a knee injury.
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