Hurkacz ends eight-match losing run against Djokovic to storm into Shanghai third round
Hubert Hurkacz ended an eight-match losing run against Novak Djokovic (No. 10) on Friday, beating the four-time champion 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Five days after retiring injured in Beijing, the 2023 champion held serve throughout against a tired Djokovic, whose Turin hopes now depend on a strong run in Paris.
Hubert Hurkacz, 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Hubert Hurkacz finally got the better of Novak Djokovic at the ninth attempt on Friday, the Pole beating the Serbian No. 10 seed 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters 1000.
Hurkacz, ranked No. 39 in the world, had lost all eight of their previous meetings. Several had been tight, including a 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5) semifinal defeat at the 2021 Paris Masters 1000 and a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) loss in the 2025 Geneva final, but he had never got over the hump.
The win made him the fourth man to beat Djokovic on hard courts, Spain’s Rafael Nadal on clay and Switzerland’s Roger Federer on grass, after Briton Andy Murray, Austrian Dominic Thiem and German Alexander Zverev. It also made him the 31st man to record wins over all three.
Hurkacz flawless on serve against a tired Djokovic
The circumstances were close to ideal for the 2023 champion. Djokovic arrived on a five-match winning streak after capturing the Beijing title on Tuesday, his 102nd tour-level crown, and looked excessively tired against a brilliant Hurkacz.
The Pole’s own week made the performance all the more meritorious. He had retired injured from his Beijing semifinal five days earlier, and Friday’s win was already his second in Shanghai.
Hurkacz held all 10 of his service games, serving 13 aces to Djokovic’s two and winning 82 percent of his first-serve points. He saved the only two break points he faced and converted two of his five, breaking once in each set. He finished with 32 winners to Djokovic’s 11, both men making 19 unforced errors.
Hurkacz, who opened his campaign with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Australian James Duckworth, extended his winning streak at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to eight matches. For four-time champion Djokovic, it was his earliest exit at the event. He had reached at least the quarterfinals in each of his 11 previous appearances.
Djokovic’s road to Turin more complicated
The defeat makes Djokovic’s route to the Nitto ATP Finals more complicated. Ninth in the Live Race to Turin, he will likely need several wins at the Rolex Paris Masters to qualify, with Australia’s Alex de Minaur, Spain’s Rafael Jodar and American Taylor Fritz directly behind him and the players below him coming on strong this week in Shanghai.
Hurkacz will next face Chinese wildcard Yi Zhou or Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, the No. 24 seed, who meet later on Friday on Stadium Court.
