Novak Djokovic beats Jurgen Melzer, enters China Open semi-finals

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic eased past Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the semifinal of the China Open.

Playing in his first event since losing the US Open final to Andy Murray, the Serb served 12 aces and saved both break points.

He delighted fans after the 53-minute match when he signed a television camera by writing his name in Chinese characters.

Djokovic will play unseeded Florian Mayer of Germany on Saturday. Mayer celebrated his 29th birthday Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Chinese wild card Zhang Ze.

The second-ranked Djokovic has yet to play a seeded player this week. Nevertheless, he struggled in his opening match before winning in three sets against German qualifier Michael Berrer.