Alexander Zverev’s chance to become the men’s world No. 1 took a major hit on Friday as he was unexpectedly knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in the second round by Tallon Griekspoor.
Zverev entered the tournament as the top seed, with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner absent due to a three-month suspension for a positive drug test, giving Zverev an ideal opportunity to close the gap to Sinner in the ATP rankings.
Despite taking the first set, Zverev ultimately lost 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) to Griekspoor in a tightly contested match.
Reflecting on the match, Zverev admitted that while the possibility of becoming world No. 1 had been on his mind initially, it was no longer a priority. “Now it’s less because I’m just playing terrible,” he told reporters after the defeat. The 27-year-old German acknowledged his poor performance, stating, “I can sit here and have excuses but at the end of the day, I’m just not playing good tennis right now.”
After winning the first set, Zverev found himself trailing 5-2 in the second. However, he staged a strong comeback, moving ahead 6-5. Despite his efforts, he lost a crucial break at a pivotal moment and was unable to serve out the match.
Griekspoor capitalized on the tiebreak, taking the set and gaining momentum when Zverev sent a routine forehand long.
The third set remained tightly contested until Griekspoor broke Zverev in the 11th game, giving him the chance to serve for the match at 6-5. However, he squandered five match points in a remarkable 15-minute game.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter to the world No. 43, who regrouped in the tiebreak and sealed the victory on his sixth match point. Griekspoor fell to his knees in celebration, marking one of the biggest wins of his career.
“It was all about mental strength,” Griekspoor said after the match. “I lost to Zverev five times last year, and I had heartbreaking moments, especially at Roland Garros when I was up by a double break in the fifth set.”
He continued, “I’ve fought so many close battles with him and had my chances, but they all seemed to go his way. I’m incredibly proud of myself for pulling this one off.”
In another surprising result from the tournament, No. 4 seed Casper Ruud was also defeated in a shocking upset by the USA’s Marcos Giron.