Alcaraz Advances Easily as Djokovic Falls at Indian Wells

Five-time champion Novak Djokovic suffered a shocking exit at the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday, losing his opening match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp. Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made a strong start to his title defence.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, committed 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat, admitting there were “no excuses” for his lacklustre performance.

“It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” Djokovic said. “But congratulations to my opponent—just a bad day in the office, I guess.”

Van de Zandschulp has built a reputation for upsetting big names, having previously stunned Alcaraz at the US Open and beaten Rafael Nadal in what turned out to be the Spaniard’s last Davis Cup match.

“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” the Dutchman said. “Against big players, if you lose your cool, it’s going to be a tough day.”

After a poor start, Djokovic found his rhythm in the second set but struggled again in the decider, with Van de Zandschulp taking the last five games to close out the match.

Elsewhere, Italian Matteo Arnaldi pulled off another surprise, eliminating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic and Rublev’s exits followed those of top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud.

With Zverev out and world number one Jannik Sinner serving a three-month suspension, world number three Alcaraz is now the highest seed left in the men’s draw.

Alcaraz began his bid for a third straight Indian Wells title with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Quentin Halys. Despite some early nerves, the Spaniard found his groove and wrapped up the match in just 67 minutes.

“The first match is never easy, so I was trying to stay focused,” Alcaraz said. “I just tried to be as relaxed as I can. I’m ready for the next round and excited.”

In other matches, Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her campaign with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over rising American McCartney Kessler.

Australian Open champion Madison Keys, playing her first match since her Grand Slam triumph, eased past Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0.

Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff, both seeded third, advanced as well. Fritz, the 2022 champion, defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3. Gauff, despite serving 21 double faults, battled past Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4).