Djoker stunned by lucky loser

Novak Djokovic was shocked by Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2 3-6 6-1 in the second round of Indian Wells on Saturday as the Serbian suffered an early exit at the hands of a tournament lucky loser for a second consecutive year.

Djokovic fell to lucky loser Luca Nardi of Italy in the California desert last year and history repeated itself on Stadium One court a day after top seed Alexander Zverev also went out.

Djokovic got off to a horrid start, hitting 14 unforced errors and being broken twice in the first set. He regrouped to race out to a 3-0 lead in the second, leveling the contest with a mighty forehand winner and pumping his fist to the sold-out crowd. But giant killer van de Zandschulp ran away with the decider, breaking Djokovic for a fourth time by a perfectly executed lob for a 3-1 lead and sealing the stunning upset when Djokovic’s shot went wide on match point.

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“I started really well and then of course Novak came back,” said van de Zandschulp, who secured a berth to the tournament upon the withdrawal of 47th ranked Facundo Diaz Acosta. “In the end and in the third set I was happy to get my level back.”

Van de Zandschulp was up a set and 3-0 on Nick Kyrgios in his first-round match on Stadium One on Thursday before the Australian withdrew with wrist pain.

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Djokovic, 37, retired from his Australian Open semifinal against Zverev with a hamstring injury and lost in the Qatar Open first round last month. He said the leg injury was behind him coming into the tournament and did not look hampered by it in his match of Saturday, where he was accompanied by coach Andy Murray.

Djokovic’s loss led a day of upsets that included seventh seed Andrey Rublev losing 6-4 7-5 to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi and 17th seed Felix Auger Aliassime falling to American Jenson Brooksby 6-4 6-2.

Earlier, Australian Open champion Madison Keys crushed Anastasia Potapova 6-3 6-0 in her first match as a Grand Slam champion, while Carlos Alcaraz began his bid for an Indian Wells three-peat with a 6-4 6-2 win over Quentin Halys.

Alcaraz is looking to join Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to have triumphed three successive times in “Tennis Paradise”.

“I couldn’t wait to start the tournament, to get here again,” the Spaniard said after dispatching his French opponent. “Outside my country, this is my favorite tournament by far. It’s a privilege.”

While Alcaraz is already a four-time Major champion at the age of 21, Keys had to wait a few weeks shy of her 30th birthday before finally joining that exclusive club in Melbourne and that success seems to have energised her.

“I’m so happy to be here,” Keys said in an interview on centre court. “Australia was obviously an amazing moment so it’s really nice to be playing at home for my first tournament back at a place I’ve played at so many times in front of some amazing people.”

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