Djokovic def. Cilic; Hanfmann def. Tiafoe in Round-2.
24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic returns to a familiar hunting ground, as he prepares for Round of 32 action vs Yannick Hanfmann at the 2025 Shanghai Masters. The German has come through qualifying and earned two impressive victories in the main draw this week. However, he will hit the biggest roadblock on Sunday, as four-time Shanghai champion Djokovic aims to extend his success. Who starts as the favorite for this match-up? Stick around, as BetMGM runs us through the betting odds.
Novak Djokovic is self-admittedly prioritizing the Grand Slams at this stage of his career. The 38-year-old is still making valiant efforts to contend with the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner, and managed to reach the semifinal stage at all four majors in 2025. Currently ranked No. 5 in the world, Djokovic has a record of 32-10 in the ongoing campaign. He won his 100th tour-level title in Geneva, and also reached the final in Miami. The Serb defeated former US Open winner Cilic 7-6(2) 6-4 in the Round of 64.
Things we've missed: Novak Djokovic playing tennis 😮💨 #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/0w1EcLDtf1
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 3, 2025
Yannick Hanfmann’s success rate this year is lurking around the 50% mark so far. This week has been particularly fruitful for the 33-year-old German – after taking out No. 9 seed Mochizuki in the qualifiers, he earned two massive wins over Sonego and Tiafoe to reach the third round. Hanfmann has not won a tour-level championship in his career yet; the World No. 150 is a former Grand Slam semifinalist in doubles and also reached two ATP-250 singles finals in the past.
Comeback complete ✅
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 3, 2025
Yannick Hanfmann knocks out 25th seed Tiafoe 6-7(9) 6-2 6-1 to reach the third round in Shanghai.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/aVcRNXvcNA
Djokovic leads the head-to-head against Hanfmann by 1-0. The two players met at the 2024 Geneva Open, where the Serbian icon crushed the opposition in straight sets.
| Event | Round | Winner | Score |
| 2024 Geneva | Round of 16 | Novak Djokovic | 6-3 6-3 |
| Novak Djokovic | Category | Yannick Hanfmann |
| 5 | Current Ranking | 150 |
| 1156-232 | Career W-L Record | 82-88 |
| 32-10 | YTD W-L Record | 8-10 |
| 100 | Career Titles | 0 |
| 1 | YTD Titles | 0 |
| 24 | Grand Slams | 0 |
Novak Djokovic’s record against big servers is spell-binding. The Djoker has one of the best returns in the sport, and knows how to manoeuvre the ball to put his opponents in tricky positions on court. He will certainly add some drop shots and down the line angles to stretch the German’s limits. For Hanfmann, the key will be to take the attack to Djokovic. Provided he can stay strong on his own service games, tiebreakers are always a 50-50.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Djokovic (1/10) is the favorite and Hanfmann (6/1) is the underdog in the Shanghai Masters 2025 Round of 32. According to the implied probability on the money line, the Serbian has an 81% chance of advancing to the pre-quarterfinal stage. Given below are the detailed odds for the encounter (as per BetMGM):
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
(Image Credits: Mike Frey, Imagn Images)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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