Hubert Hurkacz stuns Novak Djokovic with straight-sets win in Shanghai Masters second round

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aachal Maniyar is a Senior Content Producer at LiveMint, where she covers US sports with a focus on major leagues, marquee events, and athlete-driven stories, while also reporting extensively on cricket and global sports. With over five years of first-hand journalism experience, she combines sharp editorial judgment with real-time sports storytelling across platforms. <br><br> Her reporting journey spans leading newsrooms including Thomson Reuters, India TV, BTVI, ET NOW, and CNBC TV18, where she has worked across breaking news, live match coverage, feature writing, interviews, video scripting, and anchoring. This multi-platform exposure has shaped her ability to deliver context-rich sports and business journalism tailored for both television and digital audiences. <br><br> Aachal has conducted and produced exclusive interviews with athletes and public figures such as India cricketer Dhruv Jurel, Indian women’s hockey captain Savita Punia, and industrialist Ratan Tata, along with several emerging and established sports personalities. Her body of work includes in-depth explainers, athlete profiles, emotionally resonant fan narratives, and data-backed match analysis across cricket, Olympic sports, and international competitions. <br><br> She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, and believes in reporting that is grounded in accuracy, clarity, and credibility. Her philosophy is simple: sports journalism should go beyond scores and statistics, capturing the human stories, pressure moments, and decisions that shape the game and the people who play it.