BEIJING — Novak Djokovic survived a major scare to stay perfect in Beijing, rallying past Yunchaokete Bu 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the second round of the China Open on Friday evening. The 24-time Grand Slam champion improved to 31-0 in Beijing, clinching a quarter-final spot after a near-three-hour battle at his home tournament where the 24-year-old world No. 104 pushed him to the limit.
Bu deservedly took the opening set and only lost the second in a tiebreak before his level dropped in the decider. Djokovic applauded the Chinese No. 1 off the court and credited his opponent's complete performance. "He was so solid; I struggled to really find holes in his game. He was hitting his spots incredibly well with his serve and serve-plus-one. He was mixing things up really well in the rallies from the back of the court, with some short slices coming in, making me come in as well. Credit to him for playing well," Djokovic said. He added, "I had to play very well; I had to serve well in the right moments. There was quite a breeze from one end of the court. It played easier with the wind in your back than with the wind facing you; I think most of the breaks came from the side where you play with the wind."
The Serb also thanked the packed crowd that stayed until almost midnight, noting the support was louder for him than for the home player. "The atmosphere was amazing; the stadium was packed again for three hours. It's almost midnight; what a match to be a part of. I have to pinch myself. I honestly did not expect that, especially playing against a Chinese player, so I'm very, very thankful. I don't know what to say, except that I'm very thankful to them, and I'll try to give it back to them with good performances on the court," he said.
During Sky Sports' post-match coverage, Colin Fleming said, "Nice to see this reception for Bu Yunchaokete, applauded off the court by [Novak] Djokovic himself. He played his part in a thoroughly entertaining contest. In fact, I think he caught Djokovic a little off-guard with not just the quality he produced, but the consistency he produced it with, right to the second-set tiebreak." Fleming added, "But ultimately, the consistent pressure and quality of Djokovic told, and he got the crucial break at the start of the third and never really looked back. Just vintage Djokovic, return after return, coming into play. Finished with 28 winners off the ground in the end, and a seriously impressive performance from Djokovic, all things considered. Look at Bu there, 16 and 11 in the points over nine shots; he was pushing Djokovic physically. Points under nine – 96 and 74; that serve-and-return and shortening things; Djokovic getting the job done."
With his 31st China Open win, Djokovic moves to the quarter-finals where he will face either Alexander Zverev or another Chinese player, Juncheng Shang. Fleming said, "Maybe that match was just what he needed before taking on, potentially, Alexander Zverev. He's got two wins now, gets a day off tomorrow, and should be feeling pretty good about things. He's as ready as he can be, I would say, for that potential challenge." Djokovic leads Zverev 9-5 head-to-head and they have not met on tour this year. Zverev must first beat Shang in the second round on Saturday, October 3, with the winner to play Djokovic in the quarter-finals on Sunday, October 4.