Novak Djokovic's momentum from Beijing evaporated in Shanghai on Friday as the 39-year-old suffered a stunning second-round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz, ending his campaign at the Masters 1000 event in straight sets.
The Serbian arrived at the tournament riding high after capturing his seventh China Open title—and 102nd career crown—on Tuesday. However, that triumph came without the usual toll of competitive tennis, as Djokovic did not need to win a match point in either the semi-final or the final.
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from their semi-final encounter after striking a spectator with the ball, while Alex De Minaur retired hurt after losing the opening set of the final, with Djokovic leading 7-6 (7-3) 0-1.
Against Hurkacz on Friday, Djokovic looked a different player entirely. The Polish challenger dominated the contest, winning 6-4 6-3 in a match that lasted 87 minutes. It marked Djokovic's first career loss to Hurkacz, who was ranked 34th at the time, after the Serbian had won their previous eight meetings.
Hurkacz produced a clinical performance, firing 13 aces and 28 winners while conceding almost nothing on serve to defeat the 24-time Grand Slam champion. The Pole, who won the Shanghai title in 2023, showed why he remains a formidable force on fast courts.
Djokovic's performance fell well short of the standard he had set in Beijing.
I was not close to what I was playing in Beijinghe reflected afterwards.
I'm slightly more tired, not fresh.
The Serbian struggled to adapt to Shanghai's lightning-quick surface.
I didn't feel myself on the court in terms of feeling the ball. It's a super quick surface, completely different from Beijing.
Serve proved to be the decisive factor.
If you lose your serve, it is enough to lose the match, once per set, and that is what happened. It is very difficult to return his serve, almost impossible. So yeah, I did not adjust and it was a really tough draw for me, playing him in the first match.
The defeat represents another difficult chapter in what has been a testing season for Djokovic. He suffered a shock first-round exit at the US Open, where Argentine Mariano Navone defeated him in a five-set marathon, marking his earliest Grand Slam elimination since the 2006 Australian Open. His season record now stands at 19–7 after the Shanghai defeat.
Despite the setback, Djokovic remains ninth in the race for a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. He has already begun plotting his path forward.
I am planning on only playing in Paris, so let's see. Hopefully I can have a good result there,he said, turning his focus to next month's Paris Masters and the European indoor swing.
Fery's marathon ends in heartbreak against Khachanov
Britain's Arthur Fery also departed at the second-round stage, but not before producing a memorable display in an epic three-hour-plus battle with 26th seed Karen Khachanov.
The match was decided by tie-breaks in all three sets—a gruelling test of nerve and consistency. Fery lost his opening service game but broke back immediately to force the first set to a tie-break, which Khachanov claimed 8-6.
The second set saw the roles reverse. The Wimbledon semi-finalist took that tie-break 7-5 to level the match and set up a decisive third set.
Fery appeared to be in control of the decider when he reached 4-2 with a break in hand. However, Khachanov refused to surrender, battling back to force another tie-break. The Russian then dominated the final tie-break, winning it 7-2 to secure his passage to the third round.
Zverev and Shelton advance with straight-set victories
Top seed Alexander Zverev got his tournament off to a winning start, defeating Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in a composed display.
US Open runner-up Ben Shelton marked his 24th birthday with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory over Daniel Altmaier. The American's win represented a return to form after losing both of his singles matches for the United States in the Davis Cup following his run to the final at Flushing Meadows, where he fell to Zverev.
Ninth seed Alex De Minaur advanced with a walkover after his opponent, Alex Molcan, retired with an undisclosed ailment. De Minaur himself had to withdraw from the China Open final against Djokovic on Tuesday due to an adductor injury.
Mertens stuns Swiatek to reach Beijing semi-finals
In Beijing, Belgian Elise Mertens delivered a stunning upset, eliminating former champion Iga Swiatek 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 to reach the China Open semi-finals.
The 30-year-old, ranked 19th in the world, produced a composed and controlled performance to secure victory. Her path through the draw has been nothing short of remarkable, as she has defeated three consecutive Grand Slam champions to advance to just the third WTA 1000 semi-final of her career and her first since 2021.
Mertens had already eliminated American third seed Coco Gauff earlier in the week, and before that, Jelena Ostapenko. The Belgian's run represents one of the most impressive achievements of the tournament.
She will face home favourite Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals after the Chinese player defeated sixth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to book her place in the last four.
Mertens acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge ahead.
She's an incredible player. She's been a top 10 player,she said of Zheng.
Of course, [she was] unlucky with the injury, but her level is there. It's going to be a great match. She has a home advantage, but still I'm enjoying my time here in Beijing. I'm still in singles and doubles. I'm going to give 100 per cent again.
