Hurkacz beats Djokovic in Shanghai Masters second round

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters second round on October 9, ending the Serbian player's tournament at his first match after a first-round bye, Yonhap reported. The match lasted 87 minutes. Dong-A Ilbo also reported the straight-sets defeat, placing the match at Shanghai's Qizhong Tennis Centre. The outlets identified Djokovic as world number eight and Poland's Hurkacz as number 34. [ 1 , 2 ]

The defeat came three days after Djokovic won his first title of the year at the China Open. Yonhap reported that he received a walkover against Alex de Minaur in the October 6 final, securing his seventh China Open title and 102nd ATP Tour title. The outlet said he had returned to the China Open after 11 years and extended his tournament winning streak to 34 matches. His title total left him one behind Roger Federer's 103, but the Shanghai exit postponed a chance to match that figure. [ 2 ]

After the match, Djokovic said he had enjoyed a strong week in Beijing and was accepting his early departure from Shanghai. He said he hoped to rest and prepare for indoor tournaments. Yonhap quoted him as explaining that losing one service game in each set could be enough to lose a match and that this had happened against Hurkacz. Both outlets reported his praise for Hurkacz's serve, which he described as very difficult to return. Dong-A Ilbo also reported that Hurkacz, the 2023 Shanghai champion, described the evening as special and said sharing a court with Djokovic was an honour. [ 1 , 2 ]