Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Shanghai Masters, just three days after winning the China Open in Beijing. The 39-year-old had received a first-round bye as the tournament’s 10th seed.
Djokovic had ended an 11-month wait for a title in Beijing, lifting the 102nd trophy of his illustrious career after Alex de Minaur retired injured from the final. It was his sixth match in the space of 10 days, and he lost to Hurkacz for the first time in nine career meetings with the Pole.
Hurkacz Hits Through Djokovic
The big-serving Hurkacz, the 2023 Shanghai champion and currently ranked 34th in the world, claimed a 6-4 6-3 victory in 87 minutes. Djokovic could not find a way past the Pole’s serve, as a single break of serve decided each set.
“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 Run in Beijing and Ranking Outlook
The men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed a tour-level singles title for the 21st year in a row in Beijing, where he extended his winning streak to 34 matches. It was only his second final of the year, following his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in January.
Along the way in Beijing, Djokovic beat world No. 2 Alexander Zverev and led third seed Daniil Medvedev by a set and a break when the Russian was defaulted, sending Djokovic into the final.
Victory in Beijing boosted Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals. He is currently ninth in the race to Turin, so he will need a strong showing at the Paris Masters in November to move into the top eight.
Fery Falls in Three Sets
Also in Shanghai, Great Britain’s Arthur Fery lost a closely contested three-set match to former top-10 player Karen Khachanov. Fery, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals this year in a fairytale run, fell 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) after three and a half hours.