Tennis-Hurkacz dumps Djokovic out of Shanghai Masters to reach third round

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz ​beat Novak Djokovic ​for the first ‌time as ​he dumped the four-times champion out of the Shanghai Masters with ‌a 6-4 6-3 second-round victory on Friday. Tenth seed Djokovic arrived in Shanghai fresh from winning a record seventh ‌China Open crown after Australia's Alex de Minaur ‌retired with a groin injury in Tuesday's final.

The 24-times Grand Slam champion, whose last Shanghai title came in 2018, had ⁠an ​8-0 record ⁠against 29-year-old Hurkacz. But the Pole, a former world number six, produced ⁠a clinical display, firing 13 aces and 28 winners ​while conceding little on serve to beat Djokovic ⁠in one hour and 27 minutes in his first Shanghai appearance ⁠since ​capturing the title in 2023.

The defeat marked the latest setback in a testing season for ⁠the 39-year-old Serbian, who suffered a shock first-round exit at ⁠the ⁠US Open, his earliest Grand Slam defeat since the 2006 Australian Open.