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10/02/26 11:21:00
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10/02 11:18 CDT "What a match" - Djokovic rallies to beat home favorite Bu and
reach China Open quarterfinals
"What a match" - Djokovic rallies to beat home favorite Bu and reach China Open
quarterfinals
BEIJING (AP) --- Novak Djokovic rallied to beat Bu Yunchaokete and maintain his
flawless record at the China Open despite again needing a medical timeout on
Friday.
The sixth-ranked Djokovic won 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals and
extend his record to 31-0 at the Beijing tournament, which he has won six
times, the last in 2015.
"I had to play very well. I had to serve well in the right moments," Djokovic
said. "He was so solid. I struggled to really find holes in his game and was
hitting his spots really well with his serve.
"Credit to him for playing well. The atmosphere was amazing. Packed stadium
again for three hours --- what a match to be a part of."
Djokovic squandered a break advantage in the second set and also needed
treatment on court. It appeared to be a problem around his rib area, similar to
where he had been treated during a medical timeout during his first-round match
on Wednesday.
Djokovic showed little ill effects afterwards, dominating the tiebreaker and
then breaking Bu's serve twice to storm into a 4-0 lead in the third set.
The 39-year-old Djokovic sealed the win on the second of three match points
with a crosscourt backhand.
He will play either top-seeded Alexander Zverev or China's Juncheng Shang in
the quarterfinals.
In a first-round match, sixth-seeded Daniil Medvedev eased past Pablo Carreo
Busta 6-4, 6-2 and will next face Jan-Lennard Struff.
In the women's tournament, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka took just 62 minutes
to defeat Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-3. It was Sabalenka's first match since losing
the U.S. Open final to Elena Rybakina.
In contrast, it took Naomi Osaka exactly double that time to see off Maria
Timofeeva, with the No. 12 seed eventually prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
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See AP's full tennis coverage here
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