Shanghai Masters: Djokovic, Zverev through to third round

Novak Djokovic said it took time to “get the rust off” as he fought through two tiebreaks to make his way into the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends the press conference after the second round match against Alex Michelsen. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Novak Djokovic said it took time to “get the rust off” as he fought through two tiebreaks to make his way into the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

The Serbian beat American Alex Michelsen in a thrilling two-set match that finished 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (11/9).

Four-time Shanghai champion Djokovic did not have it quite so easy against 43rd ranked Michelsen.

Introduced as the “Greatest Of All Time” as he walked onto the court, he received a rapturous welcome from the packed stadium.

But Michelsen started the first set strongly, breaking Djokovic early and going 1-4 up -- to the displeasure of the crowd, fully behind the 37-year-old former world number one.

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To their delight, the Serbian levelled, and then hit his stride in the tiebreak, winning it 7-3.

The reverse happened in the second set when it was 20-year-old Michelsen’s turn to catch up to take it to the tiebreak.

Djokovic admitted to being “surprised” by Michelsen.

“It took me a little bit of time to get the rust off and to start feeling better on the court,” he said.

“I was very glad to keep calm when it mattered in both tiebreaks.”

The crowd, already in a frenzy after Djokovic spoke Mandarin at the end of the match, went wild as he showed off a new trick -- attempting a sentence in the Shanghainese vernacular.

Zverev in, Rublev out

There were no surprises either for the tournament’s second seed Alexander Zverev, who won 6-4, 6-2 against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci.

“Everything is ok when you win... I was very uncertain of my level before this tournament started,” the German said, referencing recent health problems that saw him miss the China Open.

The tournament lost its second top-ten player on Saturday, as Andrey Rublev fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik.

The Russian, a finalist at last year’s Shanghai Masters, roared in jubilation after winning a tiebreaker to take the first set.

But 65th-ranked Mensik broke Rublev in the first game of the second set, and again in the fifth to draw even.

The Czech then came from behind in the third to beat the world number six for the second time this year, with a final score of 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3.