BEIJING: Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to oust Alexander Zverev from the China Open on Sunday, beating the top seed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to set up a blockbuster semi-final with Daniil Medvedev.

The 39-year-old Serbian electrified a packed crowd in Beijing, where he extended an astonishing winning streak to 32 matches and is a firm fan favourite.

Djokovic called it one of his best matches of the year, alongside his epic five-set win over Italy's Jannik Sinner to reach the final at the Australian Open.

He told reporters such battles were "evidence to me that I can still beat the best players in the world on the biggest stage."

"Things are a bit different nowadays. It's hard to be consistently playing on the highest level like the youngsters," he said.