Djokovic Wins 102nd Title After De Minaur Retires

Novak Djokovic won his 102nd tour-level title when Alex de Minaur retired from the China Open final with Djokovic leading 7-6(3), 0-1 after one hour and 23 minutes. It was Djokovic's seventh Beijing title, extending his record there to 34-0 and a run of at least one title in 21 consecutive years. He trails Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) for most Open Era titles and is the first man 39 or older to win a Tour-level title since Ken Rosewall in 1977. Both players took medical help after the first-set tiebreak. De Minaur returned with strapping, held serve once, then retired. Sources describe the injury as groin, left thigh, or hip. De Minaur apologized to fans for not finishing. Djokovic said celebrating did not feel right after a retirement and that the trophy meant more than one event after ups and downs and physical issues this year. Djokovic had beaten Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. Daniil Medvedev was disqualified in the semifinal for hitting a spectator with a ball while Djokovic led a set and a break. One left-rated outlet stressed the first title of the year; right-rated outlets stressed unfinished semi and final and a title by retirement.