Tennis player Hubert Hurkacz defeats Novak Djokovic for the first time — Interia Sport

In Shanghai, China, Polish tennis player Hubert Hurkacz defeated Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The match ended 6:4, 6:3 in Hurkacz’s favour. It was the Pole’s first victory over Djokovic in nine head-to-head meetings.

Decisive breaks

In the first set, the tennis players confidently held their serves for a long time. At 5:4, Hurkacz had a set point on return but did not convert it. On his second attempt, the Pole won the set thanks to a cross-court return.

At the start of the second set, Djokovic had a 30:15 advantage on return, but Hurkacz held his serve. In the fourth game, the Pole secured a break: the Serbian player made a double fault on break point. Hurkacz then controlled the course of the match and saw it through to victory.

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Path through the tournament

Before the match against Djokovic, Hurkacz defeated Australia’s James Duckworth in the first round — 6:3, 7:6 (4). Earlier, the Pole withdrew from the semi-final of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing due to problems with his adductor muscle, but played in Shanghai three days later.

As Interia Sport reports, thanks to his victory over Djokovic, Hurkacz has earned wins over all representatives of the so-called Big Three. At Wimbledon in 2021, he defeated Roger Federer, and two years ago he beat Rafael Nadal at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome. In the third round in Shanghai, Hurkacz will face Yi Zhou or Lorenzo Musetti.