Djokovic ‘shakes rust off’ to make third round of Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic admitted it took him some time to shake off the “rust” as he fought through two tough tiebreaks to reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday. The Serbian star overcame American Alex Michelsen in a thrilling two-set match, winning 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (11/9).

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz made swift progress, securing confident straight-set victories to advance to the next round. Sinner defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4, while Alcaraz breezed past China’s Shang Juncheng with a 6-2, 6-2 win.

Djokovic, a four-time Shanghai champion, had a tougher match against the 43rd-ranked Michelsen. Although Michelsen broke early and took a 1-4 lead, Djokovic rallied to win the first set tiebreak. The second set also went to a tiebreak, where Michelsen pushed Djokovic but ultimately lost.

Djokovic praised Michelsen’s performance and admitted he needed time to find his rhythm: “It took me a little bit of time to get the rust off.” He kept his composure in both tiebreaks and delighted the crowd by speaking in Mandarin and even attempting some Shanghainese.

Sinner, despite a recent loss to Alcaraz in the China Open final, showed no signs of fatigue. The world number one dominated the first set against Taro Daniel and held his nerve in the second, winning 6-4. Sinner is set to face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the next round.