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BEIJING (AP) -- Novak Djokovic maintained his flawless record at the China Open despite needing a medical timeout during his first round match on Wednesday.
The sixth-seeded Djokovic beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (2) for his first victory since July 7 in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. The 39-year-old extended his record to 30-0 at the Beijing tournament, which he has won six times, the last in 2015.
It was Djokovic’s first match since a first-round loss at the U.S. Open on Aug. 31.
He was treated on court by a physio at 3-2 down in the second set, but he didn’t appear to be hindered by the undisclosed issue as he saw out his next two service matches to love and played some of his best tennis of the match after the medical timeout.
There was only one break of serve during the match, by Djokovic in Borges’ first service game.
Djokovic raced ahead in the tiebreak and swiftly racked up four match points. He needed only one as Borges hit a backhand into the net.
Earlier, U.S. Open semifinalist Karen Khachanov continued his recent domination of Félix Auger-Aliassime by 6-3, 6-3.
Khachanov also won their matchup at the U.S. Open en route on to the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
In Beijing, Khachanov had the only break of the opening set but was helped by 11 unforced errors by Auger-Aliassime. In the second set, Khachanov broke the Canadian’s serve in the third game and again in the final game of the match on four consecutive points.
Eala eyeing LA Olympics
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) -- Alex Eala is closing in on two goals.
The tennis gold medalist at the Asian Games gets an automatic berth into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. A two-for-one deal.
The Philippines’ Eala reached the semifinals on Wednesday after defeating Joanna Garland of Taiwan 7-5, 6-0. Eala will next face Wang Xiyu of China on Thursday. The winner advances to Friday’s final.
“The Olympics is a dream for me to be able to compete there, to represent my country,” Eala said. “So, yeah, let’s see how it goes.”
She took bronze medals in singles and mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and is a favorite for gold this time.
In order to compete in the Asian Games, Eala had to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing -- a mandatory WTA 1000 event. She could be fined $10,000.
She said she’s not aware of any official notice from the WTA.
“I want to say that it’s easy for people to relate to wanting to represent their country and wanting to play these types of Olympic Games,” Eala said. She indicated other players have recognized the conflict and supported her.
One seems to be Zhang Shuai of China, No. 57 on the WTA rankings. Eala is No. 18.
“It is incredible that the two competitions are in the same weeks,” Zhang said. “Some of the previous competitions have been like this. Last week, the Billie Jean King Cup was in the same week as the Singapore and Seoul competitions.
“That’s life,” Zhang added. “If two things are very important to you, or if they’re both very important tournaments, you can choose one of them.”
Eala has made her choice.