Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep suffer shock defeats at Indian Wells

World No. 1 Novak Djokvoic fell in straight sets to 39th-ranked Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany on Tuesday (March 12) in the third round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

Djokovic was playing his first tournament since lifting a record seventh Australian Open title in January and had won eight of nine prior meetings with Kohlschreiber, but he could find no answer for the German in a 6-4, 6-4 loss.

Kohlschreiber posted his first victory over a top-ranked player, advancing to a fourth-round match against France’s Gael Monfils.

“I think I put out a pretty good strategy on the court,” Kohlschreiber said, “Very clever serve, good return game – it was a good day.”

Kohlschreiber’s only prior win over Djokovic came back in 2009, a three-set victory at Roland Garros. He hadn’t taken a set off Djokovic since Rome in 2014.

But in a match that resumed after rain stopped play following completion of just one game on Monday night, Kohlschreiber looked crisp and confident, breaking the Serbian star for a 4-3 lead in the first and pocketing the set with a service winner on his second set point.

Before he made it back to his courtside chair, Djokovic bashed his racquet against his foot until it broke.

The display of emotion didn’t change anything as Kohlschreiber opened the second set with a service break and broke Djokovic again in the seventh game to give himself a chance to serve for the match.

Djokovic led that game 30-15, but capped a long rally with a forehand long then double faulted before pushing a forehand wide on break point. Then it was Kohlschreiber’s turn to show some nerves, a sudden spate of four errors, including a double fault, giving Djokovic a break.

After Djokovic held at love, Kohlschreiber held his nerve to finish it off, gaining a match point when Djokovic’s lunging backhand went wide before Kohlschreiber fired a sideline-skimming forehand.

Also, Czech teen Marketa Vondrousova shocked world No. 2 Simona Halep 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 the same day, notching her first victory over a top-five player to reach the WTA quarter-finals at Indian Wells.

Vondrousova, 19 and ranked 61st in the world, reached the last eight of a prestigious premier mandatory level tournament for the first time.

Her win over Halep, a former world No. 1 and winner at Indian Wells in 2015, comes after she dispatched 2018 finalist Daria Kasatkina in the second round and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third.

She next faces either sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine or 12th-seeded Australian Ashleigh Barty.