China Open: Zverev sets up Djokovic showdown as Rybakina crashes out in Beijing
Alexander Zverev advanced to the China Open quarter-finals after defeating Shang Juncheng, setting up a match against Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, women's world No. 1 Elena Rybakina was unexpectedly eliminated by Alina Charaeva in the second round.
Why it matters
The tournament results significantly impact the ATP and WTA rankings, with top players vying for the year-end number-one position.
BEIJING, Oct 4 — Big-serving Alexander Zverev trounced home hopeful Shang Juncheng 6-0, 6-3 at the China Open yesterday to set up a quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic, while Elena Rybakina was stunned on her opener in Beijing.
The German top seed needed just 55 minutes to brush aside the Chinese wildcard, ranked 250th, firing nine aces along the way.
“Happy with the win,” the world’s second-ranked player said, adding that his 21-year-old opponent had been “dangerous” and had “nothing to lose”.
“Looking forward to the next couple of weeks,” Zverev said ahead of his tie with Djokovic — who has never lost a match in Beijing — today.
Zverev’s cruise into the next round comes as he trains his sights on the number-one spot currently held by Jannik Sinner.
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