123rd-ranked qualifier knocks off Djokovic at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Luca Nardi used a combination of poise and power to stun his boyhood idol and top-seeded Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win on Monday night in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Nardi, who's ranked No. 123, closed out his huge upset over the No. 1 player in the rankings with an ace. The 20-year-old from Italy dropped his racket and brought his hands to his face almost in disbelief before greeting Djokovic at the net.
“This is a miracle,” Nardi said in an interview after the match on the Tennis Channel. “I'm a 20-years-old guy, 100 in the world, and beating Novak. So, crazy. Crazy.”
Nardi got into the field as a “lucky loser,” which is a player who stumbled on the final hurdle in qualifying but made it into the main draw as a replacement for an injured player who pulled out before the first round.
He went on to become the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam or ATP Masters 1000 level event, surpassing No. 122 Kevin Anderson in 2008 in Miami.
On Tuesday, second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz avenged a previous loss to Fabian Marozsan, winning 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals as the top remaining seed in the men's draw after Djokovic's loss.
Marozsan was a qualifier and the No. 135 player in the world when he upset Alcaraz at the Italian Open in May.
“Honestly, I was nervous before the match. I'm not going to lie,” Alcaraz said. “Playing against someone that beat you. ... Today I knew what I had to do.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn't so lucky, losing to Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4.
ELSEWHERE Rangers’ Rempe suspended 4 games
New York Rangers forward
Matt Rempe has been suspended four games for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.
The NHL's department of player safety announced the ban after a disciplinary hearing Tuesday, handing the wellknown rookie his first suspension 10 games into his career.
Rempe, 21, had taken the league by storm by fighting 11 times since being called up from the minors. He delivered a couple of borderline hits, and that rough play combined with fisticuffs gave him 54 penalty minutes — just below his total ice time of 56:28.
MLB: Former New York Mets and Yankees star Darryl Strawberry
is recovering from a heart attack and is at a Missouri hospital.
Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Tuesday that Strawberry was stricken Monday, a day before the eight-time All-Star's 62nd birthday.
Strawberry posted a photo of himself at the hospital on Instagram and wrote: “I am so happy and honored to report that all is well.”
Strawberry, who lives in O'Fallon, Mo., is resting comfortably, Horwitz said. The Mets will retire Strawberry's No. 18 on June 1, after retiring Dwight Gooden's No. 16 on April 14. The pair led the team to the 1986 World Series title.