Novak Djokovic defended his Beijing title in 2013, remaining perfect in the Chinese capital! The Serb defeated his great rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 27 minutes in the title clash, celebrating his first ATP trophy since Monte Carlo in April.
Novak secured his fourth title at this event from four trips to Beijing, maintaining a perfect score after debuting in 2009. Djokovic lifted his 38th ATP title and the fourth of the season, improving his impressive score in the ATP 500 finals to 10-0.
Novak and Rafa met for the 38th time, and the Serb celebrated his 16th victory, leading 12-8 in their hard-court duels and leveling the score in the finals to 9-9. It was Nadal’s first hard-court loss of the season. Novak won 18 points more than Rafa and made the difference in his service games.
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The Serb served at 72%, dropping six points and offering the Spaniard no break chances. Nadal struggled on the second serve, losing serve once in each set and settling with a runner-up prize. Novak tamed his strokes nicely and welcomed over 20 unforced errors from Rafa.
Interestingly, Nadal led the shortest rallies up to four strokes and stayed in touch in the most advanced ones. However, Djokovic destroyed him in the mid-range exchanges, building a massive 27-7 lead and securing the victory in that segment.
Novak held in the encounter’s first game with a forehand crosscourt winner. Rafa played a couple of loose backhands in the second game and lost serve to fall 2-0 behind. Djokovic grabs the third game at love, moving 3-0 up after 11 minutes.
The Serb earned three game points with a drop shot winner in the fifth game and closed it with an ace for 4-1. Rafa landed a service winner in game six to remain within one break deficit, and Novak responded with a hold at love for 5-2.
Nadal prolonged the set with a hold in game eight, leaving Djokovic serving for the opener at 5-3. Novak created two set points with a forehand winner, firing another for 6-3 in 35 minutes.
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2013 Beijing final.
Not stopping there, the Serb broke at the beginning of the second set after a superb defense and the Spaniard’s mistake.
Djokovic cemented the break with a hold at love in game two after an ace, doing everything right so far. On the other hand, Nadal hit a double fault in the third game, experiencing a break point. Novak sprayed it but earned the second with a backhand down the line winner.
Rafa saved it with a smash winner and closed the game with a service winner, remaining within one break deficit. Djokovic left those chances behind and fired an ace in the fourth game for 3-1. Nadal responded with a hold at love in game five after a service winner, hoping for some chances on the return.
Instead, Djokovic grabbed a 24-stroke exchange in game six after the rival’s backhand mistake, moving 4-2 ahead and closer to the finish line. In those moments, Nadal found the range behind the initial shot, clinching the seventh game at love with a service winner.
Novak fell 30-15 behind in the eighth game after a wayward backhand before taking the following three points, opening a 5-3 lead. Rafa served to stay in the match in game nine and landed a service winner to bring it home and extend the duel.
Djokovic served for the title at 5-4, forcing the rival’s mistake for three match points. Novak needed only one to emerge at the top, striking a service winner and celebrating his first title in over five months.
