Hurkacz beats Djokovic to end his Shanghai campaign

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 at the Shanghai Masters on Friday, ending the Serbian’s tournament run and earning his first win over Djokovic in nine professional-tour meetings. The victory followed Djokovic’s China Open title in Beijing earlier in the week. Hurkacz, who won the Shanghai tournament in 2023, advanced to the third round. The match was completed in straight sets, with Hurkacz winning a set in each of which a single break of serve proved decisive, according to reports. Djokovic said after the match that he had struggled to adapt to Shanghai’s faster playing surface and found Hurkacz’s serve difficult to return. The comments were his explanation for the defeat; the match result itself ended his effort to carry his Beijing form into the tournament. Hurkacz said he was pleased with his performance and described playing Djokovic as a special occasion. He had lost all eight of their previous professional-tour meetings. The win marked a change in their head-to-head record and sent the Polish player onward in Shanghai.