Shanghai: Hurkacz beats Djokovic for the first time, 6-4 6-3

Hubert Hurkacz had waited about seven years for this one, playing Novak Djokovic again and again without ever beating him. The Pole, ranked 34th in the world and a former No 6, won 6-4 6-3 in the second round of the Shanghai Masters 1000 on Friday, the first victory of his career against the Serb.

What Beijing left behind

Djokovic had played no match in the tournament yet. Given a bye in the first round, he leaves Shanghai without winning one, a week after taking the Beijing ATP 500 title. L’Équipe painted him tired and beaten at the first hurdle, worn down by the quick turnaround between the two Chinese events.

Hurkacz came in with a match in his legs: 6-3 7-6 over James Duckworth of Australia in the first round. The adductor strain that had forced him to retire in his semi-final against De Minaur was behind him, he said, and the target was set: “winning a first one” against the Serb.

A win priced at 2.80 at kickoff

The market did not believe it. At kickoff Djokovic remained the favourite at 1.50 with 1xbet, and a Hurkacz win paid 2.80 at Betano: about a one-in-three chance. The Serb’s best price had even tightened over the final hours, from 1.60 to 1.50, while Hurkacz’s drifted from 2.75 to 2.80.

The finish took nerve. “Towards the end I felt a bit of nervousness,” Hurkacz told We Love Tennis. “It wasn’t the first time I was a break up in a set against Novak, so I was trying to stay focused on my own game.”