Djokovic Falls in Shanghai, Hurkacz Beats Him at Last
The Pole won in 87 minutes for his first victory over the Serbian after eight defeats, while Djokovic asked his box after the opening set whether he should retire.
After the first set, Novak Djokovic turned to his box and asked whether he should retire from the match. Coach Viktor Troicki called back that he should try to carry on, Djokovic asked for a drink and returned to the court. He played the match to the end, but on Friday, October 9, 2026, he lost to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the Shanghai Masters, after 87 minutes.
It was Hurkacz’s first win in nine meetings. Djokovic had taken all eight previous matches, the last of them in the final in Geneva in 2025, when the Serbian won in three sets. It is also his first defeat after five straight wins in Beijing, where he took his 102nd career title three days ago.
How did the first set play out?
The match opened with a 19-shot rally won by Hurkacz. On his own serve, Djokovic quickly fell behind 0-30, then won four points in a row to level at 1-1. The third game lasted almost ten minutes: Djokovic had two break points, but the Pole saved both with his serve.
The Serbian hit his first ace only after a little more than 40 minutes. He leveled at 4-4, and then Hurkacz took the next two games. In the tenth, Djokovic saved one set point, but on the second the Pole returned a second serve with a winner and closed the set 6-4.
The first-set numbers explain the result better than any description:
- aces: Hurkacz 8, Djokovic 1
- first serves in: Hurkacz 74 percent, Djokovic 37 percent (Sport klub reports 42 percent)
- double faults: Hurkacz 2, Djokovic 0
- points won: Hurkacz 36, Djokovic 32
Djokovic won eight of 11 points behind his first serve, so when the ball landed in, he kept pace. It landed in too rarely. According to descriptions from the match, he signaled physical difficulties to his team, and he appeared to have trouble breathing, as he did in Beijing.
Where did the second set turn?
Between sets, Troicki advised him: “Try to shorten the points, even things out.” Djokovic tried, but in the fourth game, leading 30-0 on his own serve, he double-faulted on a break point, his first of the whole match. Hurkacz went up 3-1 and then held serve for 4-1.
The Serbian fought back once more. At 1-4 he saved two break points and cut the gap to 2-4, then to 3-5, but Hurkacz served out the match.
What did both say before the match?
Djokovic arrived in Shanghai hoping to extend his Beijing run. “I’m trying to carry that momentum over here to Shanghai and I hope for another deep run at the tournament,” he said ahead of the match.
Hurkacz had to retire from his Beijing semifinal against Alex de Minaur with an injury, so he came up against Djokovic with a question mark over his health:
“I feel better. It was a bit unlucky in Beijing where I had a problem with my adductor, but now it’s getting better.”
The Pole won this tournament in 2023, and in the first round he beat Australia’s James Duckworth 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) with 19 aces. About the match with Djokovic he said: “This will be a fun challenge. My goal is to play good tennis against him and get the win.”
What comes next?
Djokovic was the tenth seed in Shanghai, with a bye in the first round, and he is the tournament record holder with four titles and 43 wins. Hurkacz now awaits the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and Zhou in the third round.
Miomir Kecmanovic also went out in the second round the same day. Czech player Jakub Mensik, ranked 15th in the world, won the first set 6-3 and took the match against Kecmanovic, who sits 61st in the ATP rankings. Mensik had also won both of their earlier meetings.
For Djokovic, the next stop is the “Six Kings” exhibition tournament in Riyadh, from October 21 to 24.
