Hubert Hurkacz picked up where his best Shanghai tennis left off, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 on Friday, to claim a first win in nine meetings at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The 29-year-old Pole, back at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center for the first time since he lifted the trophy in 2023, needed 87 minutes to sink the Serbian former world No. 1. It was a straight-sets upset built on a heavy serve and baseline power that Djokovic never fully answered.
How Hubert Hurkacz ended an eight-match losing run
Hubert Hurkacz had lost all eight previous Lexus ATP Head2Head matches against Novak Djokovic. That record ended in the second round of this ATP Masters 1000.
He saved two break points to hold in the third game, then stayed largely in control. Djokovic could not blunt the Pole’s pace or precision from the back of the court. Hurkacz went toe-to-toe from the baseline and closed the match without letting the former world No. 1 find a rhythm.
Before the match, Hurkacz had already set the target. “It’s going to be a fun challenge,” he said after beating James Duckworth. “It’s on my list to play some good tennis against him and get a win. He’s got a few of them already… I need to serve well, play well from the baseline and return well. He won the title [in Beijing] again. It’s always a pleasure to share the court with Novak, such a great champion.”
He did exactly that. The win also stretched his Shanghai streak to eight matches.
Why Novak Djokovic looked flat after Beijing
Both men had already reached a tour-level final in China this season. Novak Djokovic won his 102nd tour-level title on Tuesday at the China Open in Beijing. Hubert Hurkacz had reached the Chengdu Open final a week earlier, then retired from his Beijing semifinal against Alex de Minaur with an adductor problem.
The Pole still looked the fresher player. After beating Duckworth 6-3, 7-6(4) in the first round, firing 19 aces, he carried that serving form into Friday. Djokovic, a four-time Shanghai champion, produced a low-energy display in the wake of his Beijing run and never recovered once Hurkacz held through that early scare.
Djokovic had arrived hoping to build on Beijing. “I’m trying to build momentum on that here in Shanghai as well, use the confidence and hopefully have another great deep run in this tournament, another tournament in China where I’ve done very well in my career,” he said before the event. That run stopped in round two.
What comes next for the 2023 champion
Hubert Hurkacz will next face the winner of Lorenzo Musetti or home wild card Zhou Yi in the third round. A deep week would mark a clear return to the form that made him champion here three years ago.
For Djokovic, the loss is an early exit at a tournament he has owned for long stretches of his career. The quick turnaround from a title in Beijing left him short of the energy Hurkacz brought to Qi Zhong.