Five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic suffered a stunning early exit Saturday, shedding his opening match to fortunate loser Botic van de Zandschulp, whereas two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz moved ahead.
“No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic stated 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 simply the most recent in van de Zandschulp’s string of celebrity victims.
He surprised Alcaraz on the U.S. Open final yr earlier than beating Rafael Nadal in Davis Cup in what proved the Spanish nice’s final match.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” stated 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 within the first set, Djokovic cleaned issues up within the second, grabbing a fast break on the best way to a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic pumped his fist after belting a forehand winner to the nook for his first break probability 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 occasions, however after he was damaged when serving for the set, he closed it out on his subsequent service recreation.
It was solely a short respite. Van de Zandschulp saved the strain on each from the baseline and on the internet and Djokovic’s errors started to pile up once more.
Van de Zandschulp took management with a break for 3-1, reeling off the final 5 video games as Djokovic couldn’t cease the bleeding.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close,” Djokovic, seeded sixth, stated. “Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes.”
Italian Matteo Arnaldi sprung one other upset, beating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic and Rublev adopted high seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud as second-round casualties.
Alcaraz relaxed, prepared
With Zverev out and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drug ban, world No. 3 Alcaraz is the very best seed within the males’s draw.
Alcaraz, making an attempt to hitch Djokovic and Roger Federer as the one males 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 out the match, however they evaporated amid a robust all-around efficiency.
One early break staked Alcaraz to the primary set. He roared to a 4-0 lead within the second behind a formidable service show and wrapped up the win in 67 minutes.
“I was nervous at the beginning of the match,” he instructed 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.”
Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her marketing campaign with a 7-6 (7/4, 6-3 victory over rising U.S. expertise McCartney Kessler.
Madison Keys, who denied Sabalenka a 3rd straight Australian Open title as she claimed her long-awaited first Grand Slam in Melbourne, subdued hard-hitting Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0 in her first match since then.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff – seeded third of their respective attracts and each superior.
Fritz, the 2022 males’s champion, defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3.
Gauff survived 21 double faults to claw out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
Source: www.dailysabah.com