Djokovic enters Shanghai quarters; Swiatek advances at Wuhan Open

Novak Djokovic banished exhaustion and played through an ankle injury scare to make it to the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, beating Spain’s Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

The hard-won victory keeps Djokovic on track as the favourite to take a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub, with other top seeds already withdrawn or knocked out.

The 38-year-old almost looked unable to continue when the match went to a decider, but he conjured up the energy to break his decade-younger opponent twice in the third set.

“Thank you, thank you everyone, I love you!” he shouted in Chinese to the adoring crowd before leaving court almost immediately after play finished.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a good start despite the 84 percent humidity, breaking in the fourth game.

His problems began shortly afterwards when his left ankle slid out behind him as he rushed towards the net, and he had to take a medical timeout.

He grimaced in pain as he was attended to by an on-court physio, but managed to resume to hold the fifth game.

Djokovic received treatment again in the second set, and looked increasingly fatigued, crouching over frequently in between rallies and throwing up on court.

Serbian-flag-waving Chinese fans roared in support, but 41st-ranked Munar ultimately broke in the 12th game of the second set after an unforced error from his opponent.

An agonised Djokovic dropped to the floor and remained splayed out on court with his chest heaving, as a medic rushed over. But he picked himself up for an incredible third-set revival, breaking in the first and seventh games and sending the stadium into a frenzy.

Djokovic is now the oldest player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, and the highest-ranking player left in the competition in Shanghai.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament to rest, and second, third and fourth-ranked Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz have all been eliminated.

The event in Shanghai has been beset by injuries, as players have battled the humidity coupled with temperatures over 30 Celsius.

Sinner was forced to retire on Sunday after being seized with extreme cramps.

World number 11 Holger Rune, who has also struggled with the conditions, called on Tuesday for tennis authorities to bring in a heat policy for events like Shanghai.

The Dane is through to the last eight after he took out France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.

Meanwhile, world number two Iga Swiatek enjoyed a victorious debut at the Wuhan Open on a scorching Tuesday that saw Emma Raducanu and Jelena Ostapenko both retire from their matches.

Swiatek, who had an opening-round bye, eased past the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 6-1 to book a third-round clash with Belinda Bencic or Elise Mertens. After her win, Swiatek called on organisers to take player safety into account when scheduling matches on the outside courts, where there is no roof that can be closed to control the temperature.

“I feel like it’s getting hotter in different places over the years,” she said. “I’m just trying to use my experience, recover well between the points, and just spend all my energy on having the best quality possible. But for sure it’s a challenge.”

Earlier, Raducanu had her blood pressure and other vitals checked before retiring with dizziness from her first-round match when down 6-1, 4-1 to American Ann Li.

The British world number 30 appeared to be struggling with the conditions as the temperature soared.

The 2021 US Open champion received medical attention five games into the second set.

She made the call to retire, sending Li into a second-round meeting with ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The heat rule allows players to take a 10-minute break between the second and third sets, and means the tournament can partially or fully close the centre-court roof to protect players.

Ostapenko, who was scheduled on a roofless outside court, also had her vitals checked and was feeling unwell before she retired, citing heat illness, while down 6-0, 2-1 to Sorana Cirstea.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka claimed her first victory at the Wuhan Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.

Agencies