Novak Djokovic and Top Seeds Stunned in Second Round at Basel

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Jódar, and Ben Shelton were all eliminated in a dramatic wave of upsets during the second round of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, Switzerland, on Thursday. The surprising exits reshape the competitive landscape of the indoor hard-court tournament held in Roger Federer's hometown.

Djokovic, the 39-year-old Serbian star ranked 12th in the world, fell in a grueling encounter against 36-year-old German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff. Struff claimed victory with scores of 6-7 (7/4), 7-5, and 7-6 (7/5) after two hours and thirty-seven minutes of intense play. The loss marked Struff's first win against Djokovic in nine head-to-head meetings, during which the German fired 66 winners and saved all six break points he faced.

For Djokovic, the early exit deals a major setback to his dwindling chances of securing a spot at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, scheduled for November 15-22. Currently sitting eleventh in the Race standings, Djokovic needed valuable points to break into the top nine. The tournament field takes the top eight players, though current world number one Jannik Sinner will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

The defeat also broke a notable statistical streak for Djokovic, who had not lost a single match in 2024 or 2025 after winning the first set. He dropped a match under those exact circumstances for the first time this season.

Struff advances to the quarterfinals to face Portugal's Nuno Borges, who advanced by defeating Norway's Casper Ruud. Borges enters the match seeking his first career semifinal appearance at the ATP 500 level.

Top-seeded American Ben Shelton also fell victim to the tournament's surprises, losing past midnight to local Swiss wild card Jérôme Kym. Kym triumphed 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), and 7-6 (7/1) to the delight of the home crowd, overcoming a late wobble in the final set where he briefly surrendered a 5-2 lead before recovering in the tiebreak. Kym will next meet Czech eighth seed Jiri Lehecka.

In other matches across the draw, Spanish teen talent Rafael Jódar, who sits ninth in the race for Turin, was eliminated by Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (7/5) battle. Meanwhile, French player Arthur Fils defeated Alex Michelsen and American Taylor Fritz overcame Denis Shapovalov to secure their spots in the quarterfinals.