(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Djokovic Battles Into Shanghai Masters Last 16 After Tough Win
October 6, 2025
Novak Djokovic survived a tense match to reach the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters, defeating qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Serb admitted he had been “hanging by a rope” early in the match as the 150th-ranked German took the first set and challenged Djokovic for much of the second. A series of unforced errors from Hanfmann in the 12th game of the second set gave Djokovic the opening he needed, and he held his nerve to secure the win in the third set.
“I had to dig in really, really deep to come out as a winner,” Djokovic said, praising the support of the crowd in Shanghai. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is aiming for a record-extending fifth title at the tournament.
In other results, Taylor Fritz of the US became the highest-ranked player eliminated so far, losing to France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5. Mpetshi Perricard will next face Denmark’s Holger Rune, who defeated France’s Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4.
