Djokovic exits Shanghai just three days after title win

Novak Djokovic’s joy from his recent title win at the China Open was short-lived. Fresh off that stellar performance, the Serbian tennis star faced defeat upon arriving at the Shanghai Masters, bowing out of the tournament after a straight-sets loss to 2023 champion Hubert Hurkacz.

Hurkacz, ranked 34th in the world, defeated the former world number one 6–4, 6–3. For Djokovic, the loss to the Polish player—who is 10 years his junior—came as an unexpected setback.

Djokovic had arrived in Shanghai fresh from securing the 102nd professional title of his career, maintaining an unbeaten record in Beijing. However, just three days after that triumph, his journey in Shanghai ended in his very first match.

With this victory, Hurkacz brought an end to a long wait; he had failed to win any of his previous nine encounters against Djokovic. In this match, which lasted one hour and 28 minutes, the Polish player fired 13 aces to secure his first-ever win over the Serbian star.

In the fourth game of the second set, a double fault from Djokovic allowed his opponent to take a 3–1 lead. Djokovic was unable to recover from that blow, and Hurkacz ultimately clinched the match in straight sets to advance to the next round.