BEIJING — Novak Djokovic maintained his remarkable unbeaten record at the China Open, defeating Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in Beijing to earn his 30th consecutive victory at the tournament and his first win since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.
The 39-year-old former world No. 1, making his first appearance at the event since 2015, struggled through the second set and was far from his best. He used his racquet to help stretch his back between games and needed a medical timeout to receive treatment to his right shoulder, but battled to close out the victory in one hour and 50 minutes. Djokovic revealed in August that he has been dealing with an underlying health condition for the past couple of years that causes particular issues in hot, humid conditions.
A 24-time Grand Slam champion who won six China Open titles between 2009 and 2015, Djokovic is playing in Beijing for the first time in 11 years and is bidding to win the tournament for a record-extending seventh time. The win sets up a second-round meeting with Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete.
In the women's draw, Great Britain's Katie Boulter also advanced to the second round with a straight-set victory over Japan's Mai Hontama. The 30-year-old claimed a 6-3 6-4 win in Beijing and will next face Czech seventh seed Karolina Muchova.