De Minaur advances in Shanghai with walkover as Djokovic exits
The ninth-seeded Australian will face Japan’s Rei Sakamoto in the third round as he pursues another ATP Finals appearance.
Alex de Minaur has progressed without playing to the Shanghai Masters third round after opponent Alex Molcan retired because of an undisclosed ailment. The Australian, seeded ninth at the ATP 1000-level tournament, next faces world No.137 Rei Sakamoto.
The walkover followed de Minaur’s retirement from the China Open final against Novak Djokovic with an adductor injury. De Minaur is seeking a third successive appearance at the eight-player ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, where he reached the semi-finals in 2025.
Sakamoto secured his meeting with de Minaur by defeating Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4. Rublev previously held a place in the world’s top 10.
Djokovic, meanwhile, lost his opening Shanghai match to Hurkacz, the tournament’s 2023 champion. The 39-year-old had won his 102nd career title at the China Open, but was beaten 6-4 6-3 in 87 minutes.
US Open runner-up Ben Shelton marked his 24th birthday with a third-round berth, beating Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-3 7-6 (8-6). Alexander Zverev, the top seed, also advanced after defeating Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
