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World number 11 Novak Djokovic of Serbia claimed the 102nd title of his career in Beijing on Tuesday, after his opponent, ninth-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur, withdrew in the early stages of the second set of the final.
The owner of 24 Grand Slam titles had not won any title since the Athens tournament (250 points) in November 2025.
Djokovic is now just one title away from Swiss Roger Federer's tally of 103 titles, and six titles behind American Jimmy Connors' record (109), while also claiming his seventh title in Beijing in his seventh appearance at the tournament.
The Serb had qualified for the final on Monday after Russia's Daniil Medvedev was defaulted in the second set after hitting a spectator with a ball he struck with his racquet.
The 39-year-old Serb won the first set in Tuesday's match via a tie-break 7-6 (7-3) and was down by a game in the second when the Australian ended the match by retiring.
Djokovic said, "I always make sure to picture myself holding the trophy, especially here in Beijing. But I was also well aware that reality is a bit different these days," adding that he had experienced a difficult year due to "physical and health issues."
He continued, "I was just trying to get that good feeling back on the court."
The first set witnessed a physical battle lasting over an hour, and both players required two medical timeouts before the start of the second.
De Minaur won the first game of the second set before retiring, while the reason for his withdrawal was not immediately clear.
With this victory, Djokovic extended his flawless record in Beijing to 34 wins in 34 matches, securing his seventh title in the Chinese capital and his first there since 2015.
De Minaur told the fans after the match, "I don't feel well."
The 27-year-old added, "I want to apologize to the wonderful fans who came to watch the match... I didn't want it to end this way."
De Minaur had advanced to the final after his opponent, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, withdrew due to an injury from their semi-final match on Monday.
Djokovic delivered a strong performance on his way to lifting the trophy, eliminating top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarter-finals, before overcoming a set deficit to defeat China's Bu Yunchaokete in three grueling sets.
Djokovic will finish the season with a title for the 21st consecutive year.
"Truly grateful"
Czech Karolina Muchova advanced to the quarter-finals after a hard-fought victory over former world number one Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7), capitalizing on her ninth match point following an exciting tie-break.
Muchova, seeded seventh in the tournament, overcame 50 unforced errors committed during the match, which lasted two hours and 52 minutes.
Currently ranked 17th in the world, Osaka squandered a three-game lead in the first set after a series of unforced errors in the seventh game.
The 28-year-old Japanese player lost only one game on her way to winning the second set and saved eight match points in the third set, but could not fend off the shot Muchova used to seal the match.
The 30-year-old Czech player told the fans, "I think she played great and consistently the whole time."
She added, "I was shaking. I'm happy I managed to hit that last shot... Naomi could have been standing right here. But I am here now, and I'm truly grateful for that."
In the next round, she will face her compatriot Nikola Bartunkova, who defeated Austria's Sinja Kraus 6-0, 4-6, 6-0.
Russia's Mirra Andreeva defeated Ukraine's Daria Snigur 6-2, 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter-finals, where she will face compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova.
World number 28 Alexandrova pulled off an upset by defeating Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2, ending the latter's bid to return to the Beijing final she reached last year.
In the men's competition, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to face Australia's Alex de Minaur in the final.
Entering the final with six titles in Beijing, the 39-year-old Djokovic boasts 33 wins in 33 matches, even though his last title there dates back to 2015.
The Serb secured his place in the final after a grueling physical showdown against Russia's Daniil Medvedev on Monday ended with the latter being defaulted for hitting a spectator with a ball.
Tournament organizers told AFP on Tuesday that the fan is "fine" and "did not suffer any serious injuries."
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