INDIAN WELLS, March 9 — Five-time champion Novak Djokovic tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz advanced.
“No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat.
“It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he added. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
Djokovic is just the latest in van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims.
He stunned Alcaraz at the US Open last year before beating Rafael Nadal in Davis Cup in what proved the Spanish great’s last match.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” said van de Zandschulp. “I know if I go into the match and lose my cool, especially against the big players, it’s going to be a really tough day. That’s always one thing I’m trying to do well.”
After 14 unforced errors in the first set, Djokovic cleaned things up in the second, grabbing a quick break on the way to a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic pumped his fist after belting a forehand winner to the corner for his first break chance of the match and after consolidating the break nodded his head in satisfaction.
The rallies remained tense affairs and Djokovic’s frustration was clear at times, but after he was broken when serving for the set he closed it out on his next service game, muscling a forehand winner to the baseline to level the match.
It was only a brief respite. Van de Zandschulp kept the pressure on both from the baseline and at the net and Djokovic’s errors began to pile up again.
Van de Zandschulp took control with a break for 3-1, reeling off the last five games as Djokovic was unable to stop the bleeding.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close,” Djokovic said. “Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes.”
Djokovic, seeded sixth, joined world number two and top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud in exiting in the second round.
Alcaraz relaxed and ready
With Zverev out and world number one Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, world number three Alcaraz is the highest seed left in the men’s draw.
Alcaraz, trying to join Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only men to win three straight Indian Wells titles, eased into his defence with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Quentin Halys.
He admitted he was feeling some nerves to start the match, but they evaporated amid a strong all-around performance.
One early break staked Alcaraz to the first set, and he roared to a 4-0 lead in the second behind a formidable service display.
He finished with seven aces and saved the only break point he faced, securing the win in 67 minutes.
“I was nervous at the beginning of the match,” he told a supportive crowd. “The first match is never easy so I was trying to be focused on my game.
“I just tried to be relaxed, as relaxed as I can. Can always be better, but I’m ready for the (next) round and excited.”
Australian Open champion Madison Keys opened the day’s action in the combined ATP Masters and WTA 1000 event, subduing hard-hitting Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0 in her first match since her maiden Grand Slam triumph.
She showed no sign of rust as she dispatched Potapova in 63 minutes.
Later world number one Aryna Sabalenka launched her bid for an elusive Indian Wells title against hard-hitting American McCartney Kessler.
In other early matches, Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff both advanced.
Fritz, the 2022 men’s champion, defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3 while Gauff — like Fritz seeded third in her draw — clawed out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. — AFP
