BEIJING — Novak Djokovic matched Jimmy Connors for the second-longest unbeaten record at an ATP Tour event by beating Chinese wild card Zhang Ze 6-2, 6-1 to improve to 26-0 at the China Open.
Djokovic has won five titles at the China Open in the past six years, excluding 2011, when he didn't play the tournament.
Djokovic matched Connors' 26-0 record at the ATP event in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1974-1980, and now only trails Rafael Nadal's 31-0 start at the French Open from 2005-2009.
On the women's side, the two U.S. Open finalists from Italy — Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci — both lost in the third round.