By user-5817544574416865421 
Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at the Shanghai Masters, just three days after he won the China Open in Beijing. The 39-year-old Djokovic, the tournament’s 10th seed, had received a first-round bye.
Djokovic had ended an 11-month wait for a title in Beijing, lifting the 102nd trophy of his illustrious career after Alex de Minaur retired injured during the final. In Shanghai, however, he could not sustain that form. Contesting his sixth match in the space of 10 days, Djokovic fell to Hurkacz for the first time in nine career meetings with the Pole.
The big-serving Hurkacz, who won the Shanghai title in 2023 and is 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.”
Beijing Triumph Fuels Qualification Hopes
The men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed a tour-level singles title for the 21st year in a row in Beijing, where he extended his winning streak to 34 matches. That victory was only his second final of the year, following his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in January.
Djokovic had beaten world number two Alexander Zverev in Beijing and led third seed Daniil Medvedev by a set and a break when the Russian was defaulted on his way to the final. In Shanghai, a single break of serve in each set proved decisive against Hurkacz.
Beijing boosted Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals. He is currently ninth in the race to Turin, so he will need a strong showing at the Paris Masters in November to move into the top eight.
Fery Falls in Three Sets
Elsewhere in Shanghai, Great Britain’s Arthur Fery lost a tightly contested three-set match to former top-10 player Karen Khachanov. Fery, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals this year in a fairytale run, was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) after three hours and 30 minutes.