Hurkacz fires 19 aces to set up Djokovic clash; Tomic return ends fast

Nineteen aces and a date with Djokovic

Hubert Hurkacz made his first appearance in Shanghai since lifting the trophy in 2023 a short and loud one. The Pole fired 19 aces past James Duckworth in a 6-3, 7-6(4) win that took 81 minutes on Thursday, and his reward is the toughest second-round assignment in the draw: Novak Djokovic.

The No. 10 seed had a first-round bye and arrives in fine form. Djokovic won the China Open in Beijing on Tuesday for the 102nd tour-level title of his career, and he is a record four-time champion at the Shanghai Masters. He has also completed the Beijing–Shanghai double three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

The head-to-head could hardly be more lopsided. Djokovic leads it 8-0, and Hurkacz did not pretend otherwise. "It's on my list to play some good tennis against him and get a win. He's got a few of them already," he said, according to the ATP Tour. "I need to serve well, play well from the baseline and return well."

There are reasons to think the Pole can make it uncomfortable. He has dealt with an adductor problem recently but said he was "definitely feeling better", and the swing has gone well for him so far, with a final in Chengdu and a semi-final in Beijing. The match is scheduled for the evening session on Stadium Court on Friday.

Tsitsipas stays perfect in Shanghai openers

Stefanos Tsitsipas kept his comeback going with a 6-3, 7-5 win over qualifier Kimmer Coppejans. The Greek, a former world No. 3, is ranked 43rd after climbing from No. 87 in the middle of the season. According to the ATP he has now won all six of his first-round matches in Shanghai, and he won 15 of 19 points behind his second serve. Next he faces No. 18 seed Luciano Darderi.

Tomic's return lasts 52 minutes

Bernard Tomic was playing in an ATP Masters 1000 main draw for the first time in seven years, and the comeback ended quickly. Matteo Arnaldi beat the Australian 6-3, 6-1 in 52 minutes. Italian outlets reported that the Sanremo player never dropped serve and won 78 per cent of points on his first serve. Arnaldi now meets No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz.

Davidovich Fokina saves match point to stun Tiafoe in Shanghai thriller

Other results on Thursday set up some interesting matches for the seeds. Juan Manuel Cerundolo beat Nicolas Mejia 6-4, 6-4 and will face No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz. Jan-Lennard Struff beat Martín Landaluce 6-4, 6-4 and earns a quick rematch with Daniil Medvedev, who beat the German in Beijing last week. Medvedev's Beijing campaign ended when he was defaulted in the semi-finals.

Seeds take the court with Sinner absent

The top half of the draw starts its second-round matches on Friday, and the bottom half follows on Saturday. Before Djokovic and Hurkacz, Stadium Court will host No. 3 seed Ben Shelton against Germany's Daniel Altmaier, then top seed Alexander Zverev against Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing.

The tournament has been missing its biggest name all week. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a right knee injury and will not play again in 2026, which leaves Zverev, Alcaraz and Djokovic as the leading contenders for the title, which is decided on 18 October.