INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Novak Djokovic was shocked by Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, suffering 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 the Stadium One court a day after top-seeded Alexander Zverev also went out.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, 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 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.
“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.
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 Saturday, when he was accompanied by coach Andy Murray.
Djokovic’s loss led a day of upsets that included seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev losing 6-4, 7-5 to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi and 17th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime falling to American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-2.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is not playing at the tournament as he serves a doping suspension.
