BEIJING — Novak Djokovic won his seventh China Open title after Australia’s Alex de Minaur retired with a groin injury during the final on Tuesday.
De Minaur left the court for a medical time out after losing the first-set tiebreak but played on with his left thigh heavily bandaged. He had to stop after winning the first game of the second set, leaving him trailing 7-6(3), 0-1.
Both semifinals ended prematurely on Monday, as Hubert Hurkacz retired with an injury and Daniil Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a spectator with a ball.
Sixth-seeded Djokovic’s win continued the Serbian’s unbeaten record at the tournament with 34 straight victories and ensured the 39-year-old won a singles title for the 21st straight year.
The two had gone toe to toe in the first set, targeting the baseline to pressure each other. De Minaur almost broke Djokovic in the fifth game but the Serbian saved the break point with a full-stretch backhand down the sideline.
De Minaur held firm but the 27-year-old’s error count increased during the tiebreak to hand the first set to Djokovic.
An exhausted Djokovic also needed treatment during the break and the 39-year-old was surprised when de Minaur signaled the end of the match. — Reuters