Vintage Djokovic sends Zverev packing

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to oust Alexander Zverev from the China Open on Sunday, beating the top seed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to set up a blockbuster semi-final with Daniil Medvedev.

The 39-year-old Serbian electrified a packed crowd in Beijing, where he extended an astonishing winning streak to 32 matches and is a firm fan favorite.

Djokovic called it one of his best matches of the year, alongside his epic five-set win over Italy's Jannik Sinner to reach the final at the Australian Open.

He told reporters such battles were "evidence to me that I can still beat the best players in the world on the biggest stage."

"Things are a bit different nowadays. It's hard to be consistently playing on the highest level like the youngsters," he said.

He needed to play a mix of shots in "high-risk tennis" against the German, but he said feeling "physically pretty good" on the court after dealing all year with health issues helped him fight back.

Djokovic got off to a poor start, double-faulting twice in the first game to help Zverev, a decade his junior, break serve instantly.

Boos filled the stadium soon afterward when the umpire agreed to replay a point Djokovic had won, after Zverev complained about a flicker in the LED panels during play.

The German saw out the first set from there, but a valiant Djokovic roared back to seal the second with a cross-court winner to break serve and force a decider.