Djokovic turns back the clock to dispatch Zverev in vintage style

The huge upset against Zverev, the reigning French Open and US Open champion, has proved again that it's still too soon to write off the 24-time major champion, even though he's no longer the invincible contender on all surfaces and perhaps a little past his prime at the age of 39.

"This is probably one of the two best matches that I've played this year, next to the one against Sinner in the semis at the Australian Open," Djokovic said after the match, comparing Sunday's win to his five-set thriller over the world No 1 back in January.

"Just obviously very thrilled to win against probably the best player in the world at the moment.

"A lot had to happen to put myself in that position. I think I would probably highlight that my serve-plus-one game tonight was really good. I was trying to use every short ball to come in and put pressure on him, mix it up, come to the net, be aggressive.

"It was a high-risk tennis at times, but I had to do it, otherwise it would be very difficult to win," said Djokovic, who's currently ranked world No 11.

He will have to overcome another big challenge in the semifinals, facing the younger, and higher-ranked, Daniil Medvedev, currently ranked world No 6, on Monday night to keep his title hopes alive.

Djokovic fell behind early as Zverev's crushing serve and sharp baseline aggression carried him to the opening set, providing Djokovic's historic Beijing streak its sternest test yet.

With every point swinging the momentum, the capacity crowd inside the 15,000-seat central court refused to let their hero fade, roaring between games and erupting after every winner, turning the stadium into a cauldron of noise whenever Djokovic dug into long rallies.

Fueled by that overwhelming backing, Djokovic cranked up his game exactly when the stakes were highest. He tightened his return position, neutralized Zverev's heavy groundstrokes and leaned into his trademark "inat" — that famous Serbian defiant stubbornness — to chip away at the German's confidence.