Novak Djokovic won his 26th successive match in China at the Shanghai Masters Wednesday, but it was misery for Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who crashed out despite leading his final set 3-0. The Serbian world number one opened his campaign for a third Shanghai title with ease, claiming a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Austrian Dominic Thiem, the youngest player in the top 50.
The top seed in Shanghai broke his 21-year-old opponent in his final service game in the first set, and then again early in the second. Thiem, who is ranked 39th, then forced two break points in Djokovic's next two service games, but failed to capitalise, leaving his opponent to close in on victory in one hour 28 minutes.
Djokovic has been in scintillating form this year, putting some distance between himself and world number two Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings. He won his fifth China Open title last Sunday, beating Czech Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-2 in what he described as his greatest ever final. But it was agony for Wawrinka in Shanghai, as he crashed out of his second successive tournament at the first stage.
The results in Tokyo and Shanghai could undermine Wawrinka's bid to confirm his place at the end of season ATP World Tour Finals, which involves the world's top eight players. The fifth seed in Shanghai, David Ferrer, also faced a tough battle in his opening match, but finally overcame Slovak Martin Klizan 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. Klizan dumped Rafael Nadal out of the China Open at the quarter final stage last week, but could not repeat his heroics against his Spanish opponent at the Masters 1000 event.
Ferrer will play Andy Murray in the next round, after the British 11th seed won his match against Pole Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-2. Meanwhile, seventh seed Kei Nishikori and 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov both crashed out in their opening matches. The Japanese star looked injured during the closing stages of his 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 defeat to American Jack Sock, and received treatment with the scores at 4-3 in his opponent's favour. The US Open finalist won his next service game, but appeared slightly in pain as he lost the next two, which ended his participation in the tournament. Bulgaria Dimitrov was dumped out by Julien Benneteau of France 7-5, 6-3. The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event concludes in Shanghai Sunday.