Novak Djokovic stunned by Hubert Hurkacz in upset defeat at Shanghai Masters
Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at the Shanghai Masters, just three days after winning the China Open in Beijing. The 10th seed had received a first-round bye.
The 39-year-old Djokovic had ended an 11-month wait for a title when he lifted the 102nd trophy of his illustrious career in Beijing, after Alex de Minaur retired injured from the final. However, contesting his sixth match in the space of 10 days, Djokovic lost to Hurkacz for the first time in nine career meetings with the Pole.
The big-serving Hurkacz, the 2023 champion in Shanghai and currently ranked 34th in the world, claimed a 6-4 6-3 victory in 87 minutes.
Hurkacz pays tribute
“It’s a special night. I’ve been playing Novak for like seven years. It’s been unsuccessful but [he has been] such a great champion for so many years,” Hurkacz said.
“He just won Beijing, so it’s a very difficult task to play against him, but also it is a pleasure for me to share a court with him, to play such a legend of the sport.”
Djokovic’s form and ranking hopes
The men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed a tour-level singles title for the 21st year in a row with his Beijing victory, extending a 34-match winning streak. That was only his second final of the year, following his January Australian Open final defeat by Carlos Alcaraz.
En route to Beijing, Djokovic beat world number two Alexander Zverev and led third seed Daniil Medvedev by a set and a break when the Russian was defaulted, handing Djokovic the title. In Shanghai, however, his bid was undone by a single break of serve in each set against Hurkacz.
The Beijing triumph boosted Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals. He is currently ninth in the race to Turin, and will need a strong showing at the Paris Masters in November to break into the top eight.
Fery falls in three sets
Elsewhere in Shanghai, Great Britain’s Arthur Fery lost a closely contested three-set match to former top-10 player Karen Khachanov. Fery, who enjoyed a fairytale run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this year, went down 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) after three and a half hours.