Novak Djokovic knocked out of Shanghai Masters in second round as Britain's Arthur Fery also beaten

Djokovic was on a high coming into the tournament after claiming a seventh China Open title - and the 102nd of his career - on Tuesday, although he didn't have to win a match point in either the semi-final or final.

Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from their final-four clash after hitting a spectator with the ball , while Alex De Minaur retired hurt after dropping the first set of the final, ⁠with Djokovic leading 7-6 (7-3) 0-1.

The 39-year-old was far from his best when in his Shanghai opener on Friday, beaten in straight sets - 6-4 6-3 - by Hurkacz.

It's Djokovic's first career defeat to the Pole, having won their prior eight encounters. But the former world No 6 produced a ‌clinical display, sending down 13 aces and 28 winners while conceding little on serve to defeat the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

The defeat marked the latest setback in a testing season for the Serbian, who suffered a shock first-round exit at the US Open, his earliest Grand Slam ​defeat since the 2006 Australian Open.

"I was not close to what I was playing in Beijing," Djokovic said. "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. He is ninth in the race for a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

"I am planning on only playing in Paris, so let's see. Hopefully I can have a good result there," he said.

Britain's Arthur Fery also exits at the second-round stage, after losing out in an epic match with 26th seed Karen Khachanov that lasted over three and a half hours - all three sets decided by a tie-break.

Fery lost his opening service game of the match, but broke back to send the opening set to a tie-break, which Khachanov claimed 8-6.

Roles were reversed in the second, as the Wimbledon semi-finalist took the breaker 7-5, while it appeared to be advantage Fery in the decider when 4-2 and a break up.

However Khachanov battled back and took the final tie-break 7-2 to secure his spot in the third round.

Top seed Zverev secures safe passage to third round

Top seed Alexander Zverev got his tournament off to a winning start, as this year's two-time major winner beat Chinese wildcard entry Wu Yibing 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

US Open runner-up Ben Shelton - beaten by Zverev in his first Grand Slam final - celebrated his 24th birthday with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) win over Daniel Altmaier.

It represented a return to winning ways for the American after losing both of his singles matches for the United States in the Davis Cup following on from his run to the final at Flushing Meadows.

Ninth seed Alex de Minaur advanced with a walkover after his opponent, Alex Molcan, retired with an undisclosed ailment. De Minaur himself had to retire with an adductor injury in the China Open final against Djokovic on Tuesday.

Mertens stuns Swiatek in Beijing, sets up China Open semi-final with Zheng

Elise Mertens stunned former champion Iga Swiatek 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 to ‌reach the China Open semi-finals, continuing her impressive run in Beijing after also eliminating ‌American third seed Coco Gauff earlier in the week.

The 30-year-old Belgian, ranked ​19th in the world, produced a composed display to secure victory.

Her path has been anything but easy, as she has defeated three consecutive Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff and now Swiatek to advance to just the third WTA ‌1000 semi-final of her career and her first since 2021.

She ⁠will next face home favourite Qinwen Zheng , who defeated sixth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-6 (8-6) earlier in the day to book ‌her place in the last four.

"She's an incredible player. She's been a top 10 player," Mertens said. "Of course, [she was] unlucky with the injury, but her level is there. It's going to be a great match. She has a home advantage, but still I'm enjoying my time here in Beijing. I'm still in singles and doubles. I'm going to give 100 per cent again."

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