BEIJING (AP) — Novak Djokovic was handed the China Open trophy after Alex de Minaur retired injured in the final on Tuesday.
Both players asked for medical timeouts after the opening set. De Minaur had a groin issue and quit after winning the opening game of the second set.
The 39-year-old Djokovic won 7-6 (3), 0-1 and extended his perfect record at the China Open to 34-0.
It was his seventh China Open title and 102nd on the ATP tour. He's one behind Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors leads with 109 in the Open era.
Djokovic lost his only other final this year to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.
De Minaur was seeking his first Beijing trophy and a second title of the year following Rotterdam in February.
No. 9-ranked De Minaur kept No. 11 Djokovic at bay with aggressive groundstrokes in the first set and saved two break points before unforced errors cost him the tiebreak. He hit 11 winners compared to three by Djokovic.
Djokovic earned three straight wins over top-10 players. He passed U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the Russian struck a spectator with the ball and was disqualified.
De Minaur advanced to the final when Hubert Hurkacz retired injured in their second set.
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