Félix Auger-Aliassime has been eliminated from the China Open in Beijing, losing his first-round match to Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday. The result marks another recent loss for the Canadian against Khachanov, who also defeated him at the U.S. Open, according to Yahoo! Sports.
How did the match unfold?
Khachanov secured the win in straight sets, capitalizing on errors from Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian committed 11 unforced errors in the opening set, where Khachanov earned the only service break, as reported by Yahoo! Sports. In the second set, Khachanov broke Auger-Aliassime's serve in the third game and again in the final game to close out the match.
What was the day's other notable result?
Novak Djokovic won his first match since July, defeating Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2). The win extends Djokovic's perfect record at the Beijing tournament to 30-0, according to Sky Sports. The 39-year-old, seeded sixth, had lost his opening matches at both the U.S. Open and in Cincinnati before arriving in China.
During the second set against Borges, Djokovic received treatment from a physio while trailing 3-2. Despite the medical timeout for an undisclosed issue, he recovered to win the set in a tiebreak, securing the victory in his first appearance at the event since winning the title in 2015, reports from multiple outlets confirmed.
Djokovic is scheduled to play Chinese player Buyunchaokete Bu in the second round.
Sources
- Yahoo! Sports Canada: Novak Djokovic starts China Open with first win since July. The Associated Press, 2026-09-30.
- Sky Sports: Novak Djokovic: Former world No 1 lands his first win since Wimbledon with victory over Nuno Borges at the China Open. Sky Sports, 2026-09-30.
- Tennisuptodate.com: The Djokovic Factor: How his China Open return changes the entire Beijing draw. Tennisuptodate.com, 2026-09-30.
- Tennisuptodate.com: "History of my results on the Chinese soil has been incredible" - Confidence flowing through Novak Djokovic ahead of China Open return. Tennisuptodate.com, 2026-09-29.
Reported from public sources.