Djokovic ends title drought with China Open triumph while Alcaraz claims glory in Japan

Serb victorious after De Minaur retires injured Alcaraz beats Lehecka for first title since February Novak Djokovic capped an outstanding week at the China Open with his first title for nearly a year. The 39-year-old profited from the retirement of his final opponent, Alex de Minaur, after only one game of the second set to win a seventh title in Beijing and maintain his record of never having lost at the tournament. The 7-6, 0-1 victory means Djokovic has won at least one title in each of the past 21 years, while he now has 102 tour level trophies overall. Both men reached the final without having to complete their matches on Monday – Djokovic thanks to the much-publicised disqualification of Daniil Medvedev, while De Minaur’s opponent Hubert Hurkacz pulled the plug because of injury. Continue reading...