Ailing Zverev sent packing
German world No 3 beaten 6-3, 6-1 by compatriot Struff; Djokovic’s match rained out
INDIAN WELLS : Ailing world No 3 Alexander Zverev crashed out of theatpindianwells Masters, where Novak Djokovic’s third roundmatchwas suspendedby rainwithone gamecompleted.
Jan-lennard Struff, ranked 55th in the world, notched his first victory over Zverev in five tries, breaking him once in the first set and three times in the second for a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
“I’ve been sick for a week,” said the 21-year-old Zverev, who lost the Acapulco final to Australian Nick Kyrgios the week before Indian Wells began.
“That hasn’t changed, unfortunately. I think I just got unlucky, I got a virus somewhere and that’s how it is.”
Zverev, the owner of three Masters 1000 titles who has never made it to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, said he would now focus on recuperating and preparing for the Miami Masters, where he’ll be hoping to improve on his runner-up finish to John Isner last year.
Despite the circumstances, Struff was delighted to get a first win over Zverev. “Yeah, 6-3, 6-1, it’s amazing,” he said. “Played a good match. He was missing some shots today, but at the end of the day I’m very happy with that.”
RAONIC RALLIES TO THREE-SET WIN
Struff next faces 13th-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic, who rallied from 4-1 down in the third set to beat US qualifier Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Giron, 25, looked set to claim the biggest win of a career that has been hindered by two hip operations when he took a 4-1 lead in the third set. But Raonic, runner-up at Indian Wells in 2016, called on all of his experience to turn things around against the American, who had never won two ATP Tour matches in a row until this week.
World No 1 Djokovic, playing his first tournament since grabbing a record seventh Australian Open title in January, completed just one game against unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber before rain swept across the California desert.
The duo was sent to the locker room and with no break in the weather in sight organizers suspended play for the night, with the match to resume on Tuesday.
OSAKA, VENUS POWER INTO FOURTH ROUND
INDIAN WELLS : World No 1 Naomi Osaka powered into the fourth round of the WTA event on Monday after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Danielle Collins.
The 21-year-old Japanese had a shaky start when she was broken early in the first set but quickly found her groove and broke the American four times and struck 29 winners to advance.
The US and Australian Open champion, who is also defending the title at Indian Wells, will next face Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2.
The duo was joined in the fourth round by seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who defeated qualifier Christina Mchale 6-2, 7-5. The 38-year-old Williams, who showed her mettle in the second round where she upset world number three Petra Kvitova, will meet unseeded German Mona Barthel in the fourth round.
KERBER OVERCOMES QUALIFIER TO ADVANCE
Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber came from a set down against qualifier Natalia Vikhlyantseva to reach the fourth round. Eighth-ranked Kerber, a two-time semi-finalist in the California desert, shook off a slow start to beat the 112thranked Russian 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
After dropping her serve in the first game of the second set, Kerber won seven games in a row to force a third set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider. She was unable to convert four match points against Vikhlyantseva’s serve at 5-1 and was broken at love when serving for the match at 5-2.