SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic suffered a shock 6-4 6-4 loss to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and his fierce rival Andy Murray beat France’s Gilles Simon 6-4 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals yesterday.
Serbian Djokovic, 12-times grand slam champion, made 29 unforced errors against the 15th seed and converted just two of nine break points.
He saved three match points before Bautista Agut broke his serve for the fourth time to wrap up victory in one hour 48 minutes.
Djokovic, who smashed his racket after losing the first set and tore his shirt during the match, was left fuming after umpire Carlos Bernardes gave him a time violation when changing his shirt.
“He was the star of the show. That’s what he wanted to be today,” the 29-year-old told reporters.
“But there are definitely things that I need to regain from the emotional, mental point of view.”
Bautista Agut said aggressive tactics were key to him picking up his first victory in six attempts against Djokovic.
“I tried to force him to play his best tennis. I think in the first set he played some good tennis. He played a little bit better than me,” Bautista Agut said.
