Djokovic suffers surprise Hurkacz loss in Shanghai

NOVAK Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Shanghai Masters, just three days after triumphing at the China Open in Beijing.

The 39-year-old Djokovic ended an 11-month wait to lift the 102nd title of his illustrious career after Alex de Minaur retired injured from the China Open final.

But, contesting his sixth match in the space of 10 days, Djokovic lost to Hurkacz for the first time in nine career meetings with the Pole.

The big-serving Hurkacz, winner in 2023 and currently ranked 34th in the world, claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory in 87 minutes.

“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.”

Men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic claimed a tour-level singles title for the 21st year in a row with his victory in Beijing, where he is on a 34-match winning streak.

That was only his second final of the year, following January’s Australian Open final defeat by Carlos Alcaraz.

But, having 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, Djokovic’s Shanghai bid was undone by a single break of serve in both sets against Hurkacz.

While victory in Beijing boosted his hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, Djokovic, currently ninth in the race to Turin, will now require a strong showing at the Paris Masters in November to break into the top eight.

Also in Shanghai, Great Britain’s Arthur Fery lost out in a closely fought three-set contest against former top-10 player Karen Khachanov.

Fery, who achieved a fairytale run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this year, was beaten 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) after three-and-a-half hours. -BBC