Lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp recorded one of the biggest victories of his career by delivering a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.
The 29-year-old Dutchman had a 26-15 edge in winners while controlling the flow of play for most of the match against the sixth-seeded Djokovic, who is ranked seventh in the world.
It was the eighth career win over a Top 10 opponent for van de Zandschulp, who is ranked 85th in the world.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” van de Zandschulp said. “The second set was very tough. He gained a big lead. But I think I did well turning it to 5-3 to get the momentum back a little bit.
“I think I started well, surviving one or two games in the third set, and then broke and turned it around. 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.”
Just being in the tournament field was a gift for van de Zandschulp. He was eliminated during qualifying, then received a spot in the main draw when Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta withdrew due to a foot injury.
Djokovic committed 37 unforced errors and didn’t record a single ace.
The 37-year-old Djokovic has dropped his last three matches, losing to Alexander Zverev of Germany in the Australian Open semifinals and in the first round to Italian Matteo Berrettini in the first round at Doha prior to Saturday’s loss.
“Obviously, no excuses for a poor performance,” Djokovic said. “Just it doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me. You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days.”
van de Zandschulp will next face No. 25 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. Cerundolo rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over Mackenzie McDonald on Saturday.
In other matches, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain had seven aces while notching a 6-4, 6-2 win over Quentin Halys of France in his first match of this year’s tournament.
The No. 2 seed said he was pleased with his performance.
“I’m really happy to get through and start the title defense,” Alcaraz said. “It’s slow, the ball bounces a lot, the conditions are pretty good for me. I just love playing here. I feel at home, really calm off the court.
“The fans have always been good to me, so I just appreciate that love and support. Everything here suits me and my game.”
Third-seeded Taylor Fritz won 89.7 percent of his first-serve points while knocking off Italy’s Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-5.
Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi also pulled off an upset, prevailing 6-4, 7-5 over Andrey Rubley of Russia. Arnaldi saved 7 of 11 break points and didn’t commit a double fault, while Rubley had five.
Brit Jack Draper, seeded 13th, was a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Brazilian wild card Joao Fonseca, while Jenson Brooksby knocked off No. 17 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6-4, 6-2.
No. 21 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland defeated French qualifier Hugo Gaston 7-5, 6-3, No. 27 Denis Shapovalov of Canada posted a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Adam Walton of Australia, No. 30 Alejandro Tabilo of Chile notched a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic, and No. 32 Brandon Nakashima ousted Rinky Hijikata of Australia 7-5, 6-1.
–Field Level Media
