Djokovic crashes out of Shanghai Masters after shock defeat to Hurkacz

Novak Djokovic has suffered a shock exit from the Shanghai Masters after losing in straight sets to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match on Friday, just days after claiming the China Open title in Beijing.

The 39-year-old Serbian, a former world number one, was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Hurkacz, who delivered a strong serving performance to secure his first victory over Djokovic in nine meetings on the professional tour.

The defeat ended Djokovic’s hopes of carrying his winning momentum from Beijing into Shanghai, where he struggled to adjust to the faster playing surface and the aggressive approach of his opponent.

Hurkacz, the 2023 Shanghai Masters champion, took control of the contest with his powerful serve and consistent play, preventing Djokovic from establishing the rhythm that had helped him win the China Open earlier in the week.

“I didn’t feel myself on the court,” Djokovic said after the match, admitting that he struggled to adapt to the conditions in Shanghai.

He added, “It’s a super-quick surface, completely different from Beijing. If you lose your serve, it’s enough to lose a match.”

Hurkacz’s performance proved decisive as he repeatedly put Djokovic under pressure with his serve, recording 13 aces during the one-hour-and-28-minute encounter.

Djokovic acknowledged the difficulty of returning the Pole’s serve, saying the conditions and the quality of his opponent made the opening-round assignment particularly challenging.

“It’s very difficult to return his serve, almost impossible,” he said. “I didn’t adjust, and it was a really tough draw for me to play him in the first match-up.”

Hurkacz breaks Djokovic’s resistance

The match remained competitive in the opening set, but Hurkacz maintained his composure to take it 6-4 and place Djokovic under pressure heading into the second.

The Pole continued to apply pressure, and his opportunity came in the fourth game of the second set when Djokovic double-faulted to surrender his serve.

The break gave Hurkacz a 3-1 advantage, leaving Djokovic with a difficult task as the Polish player tightened his grip on the match.

Hurkacz held his serve for the remainder of the contest to complete the 6-4, 6-3 victory, ending Djokovic’s campaign at the tournament in his first appearance.

The result was particularly significant for Hurkacz, who had lost all eight of his previous meetings with Djokovic on the professional tour.

“It was a challenging match, always,” Hurkacz said. “I was pleased with how I performed, how I received in important moments.”

Hurkacz will now face either Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Chinese wildcard Zhou Yi in the third round as he seeks to build on his impressive victory.

Djokovic, meanwhile, will be left to reflect on a disappointing exit after arriving in Shanghai following another successful campaign in Beijing.

Zverev survives scare against Chinese wildcard

Earlier on Friday, top seed Alexander Zverev survived a difficult test against Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to advance to the next round.

The German world number two was pushed hard by Wu, ranked 113th, who demonstrated impressive shot-making and kept the contest close, particularly in the second set.

Zverev’s progress was briefly threatened during the 11th game of the second set when he dived for a shot, grimaced in pain and grabbed his left ankle.

Wu capitalised on the situation to move 6-5 ahead, increasing the pressure on the German as he sought to force a deciding set.

However, Zverev held his serve to stay in the contest and took the match into a tie-break, where he exploited a series of errors from the Chinese player to secure victory.

He converted his second match point when Wu sent a shot long, bringing the contest to an end.

“Credit to him, he was playing amazing tennis,” Zverev told the crowd after the match. “He hits every ball as hard as he can.”

Zverev will face France’s Quentin Halys in the next round as he continues his campaign at the tournament.

The German is also seeking to finish the year as world number one following Jannik Sinner’s announcement that he would end his season because of injury.

Shelton celebrates 24th birthday with victory

American third seed Ben Shelton also advanced to the third round after overcoming Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).

The victory came on Shelton’s 24th birthday, giving the American an additional reason to celebrate as he continued his pursuit of the Shanghai Masters title.

Shelton produced a determined performance to win in straight sets, securing the second set in a tie-break after Altmaier attempted to extend the contest.

The American will next meet France’s Arthur Gea, with the third-round encounter offering him another opportunity to strengthen his position in the tournament.

Despite his birthday victory, Shelton suggested that elaborate celebrations might not be on his agenda.

Speaking to an on-court interviewer, he said, “I hate cake.”

Mannarino, Sakamoto record notable victories

Elsewhere, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino caused an upset by defeating sixth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Mannarino recovered after losing the second set to take the decider and book a third-round meeting with Karen Khachanov.

Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto also produced a notable result, beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 to progress to the next round.

Sakamoto’s victory earned him a meeting with ninth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur, setting up another challenging test for the qualifier as the Shanghai Masters continues.

Djokovic’s early departure was the headline result of the day, while Hurkacz’s performance demonstrated how quickly conditions and a powerful opponent can change the fortunes of even the most experienced players.