Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Shanghai Masters, just three days after he won the China Open in Beijing. Djokovic received a first-round bye as the tournament’s 10th seed.
The 39-year-old Djokovic ended an 11-month wait for a title when he lifted the 102nd trophy of his career in Beijing, 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.
The big-serving Hurkacz, the 2023 Shanghai champion who is currently ranked 34th in the world, won 6-4, 6-3 in 87 minutes.
Hurkacz praises his opponent
“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
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.
Djokovic had beaten world number two Alexander Zverev and led third seed Daniil Medvedev by a set and a break when the Russian was defaulted on his way to the Beijing final. In Shanghai, however, a single break of serve in each set was enough for Hurkacz to undo his bid.
Playoff race and other results
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 break into the top eight.
Also in Shanghai, Great Britain’s Arthur Fery lost a tightly contested three-set match to former top-10 player Karen Khachanov. Fery, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals this year on a fairytale run, was beaten 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) after three hours and 30 minutes.