Hubert Hurkacz has secured a match with Novak Djokovic in the second round of the “Masters 1000“ tournament in Shanghai. The Pole began his participation with a victory over Australian James Duckworth 6:3, 7:6(4), recording an impressive 19 aces in the match that lasted 81 minutes.
Hurkac returned to the competition for the first time since winning the title in 2023. However, his upcoming clash with Djokovic will be a serious test, as the Pole has not won in his eight meetings with the Serbian legend so far.
The Pole has demonstrated good form during the Asian tour, reaching the final in Chengdu and the semifinals in Beijing. In the Chinese capital, however, he was forced to retire in the second set of his match against Alex de Minaur due to an adductor problem.
Stefanos Tsitsipas also made a successful start to his Shanghai campaign. The Greek tennis player defeated qualifier Kimer Kopejans 6-3, 7-5 and maintained his perfect balance in the first round of the tournament - six wins from six matches.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo defeated Nicolas Mejia 6-4, 6-4 and will next meet second seed Carlos Alcaraz, who recently triumphed in Tokyo.
Jan-Lennard Struff also advanced after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over young Spaniard Martin Landaluse. His next opponent will be Daniil Medvedev.
Matteo Arnaldi, on the other hand, dealt a convincing blow to Bernard Tomic, defeating him 6:3, 6:1 in just 52 minutes. In the second round, the Italian will face Taylor Fritz, who continues the fight for a place in the ATP Finals in Turin.