Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters in a dispiriting 6-4 6-3 defeat to Hubert Hurkacz, just three days after winning the China Open.
The 39-year-old had rolled back the years in Beijing to win his 102nd title and first of 2026, but was unable to build on that momentum as he lost his first match since winning the title after receiving a first-round bye.
It was a first defeat by former champion Hurkacz, who is playing the tournament for the first time since his 2023 triumph, in nine meetings.
The Pole fired in 13 aces and 28 winners and was assured on serve as he knocked out four-time winner Djokovic in an hour and 27 minutes, and will now face either Lorenzo Musetti or Zhou Yi in the third round.
Djokovic said: “I was not close to what I was playing in Beijing. I'm slightly more tired, not fresh. I didn't feel myself on the court in terms of feeling the ball. It's a super quick surface, completely different from Beijing.
“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.”
Djokovic will now turn his attention to the European indoor swing, with next month's Paris Masters looming.
Elsewhere French and US Open champion Alexander Zverev remained firmly on track in his bid to secure the year-end world No 1 ranking by seeing off local favourite Wu Yibing 6-4 7-6(4).
The German world No 2 can ensure he will reach the pinnacle by the end of the year if he makes the semi-finals or if his nearest challengers Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton lose at any stage of the Masters 1000 tournament. Jannik Sinner is currently the top-ranked player, but the Italian ended his season prematurely due to inflammation in his knee and will drop the points he earned for winning the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals last year.
Britain’s Arthur Fery suffered a tight three-set defeat to US Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov, falling 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) in three and a half hours.
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