INDIAN WELLS (United States) – Lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp advanced to face five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic as first-round foe Australian Nick Kyrgios was forced out of his latest comeback event with a right wrist injury.
A distraught Kyrgios trailed 7-6 (9/7), 3-0 when he called a halt after consulting the trainer.
The mercurial Australian, last seen grimacing from an abdominal injury and firing expletives at his coaching box as he fell in the first round at the Australian Open, was playing on a protected ranking after missing 18 months following knee surgery and wrist reconstruction.
“It’s always hard to see someone walk off court like that,” van de Zandschulp said according to AFP. “But especially Nick. His previous year, couple of years, have been tough … (it’s) tough to see someone hurting like this.”
Kyrgios had displayed some of his crowd-pleasing best in the opening set, keeping one rally alive with two between-the-legs shots.
Down two breaks he rallied to force the tiebreaker, but after saving one set point he failed to convert one of his own before van de Zandschulp pocketed the set.
“It’s never easy to play someone like him,” van de Zandschulp said. “You never know what to expect. Had to be sharp every point.”
Kyrgios, who hasn’t won an ATP match since 2022, was clearly hurting in the second set, flexing his hand and staring at his wrist between points.
After withdrawing, he sat with his head in his hands before walking dejectedly off the court.
Van de Zandschulp, ranked 85th in the world, will now get a chance to add another big name to his victims list.
The Dutch 29-year-old toppled Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open last year and beat Rafael Nadal in Davis Cup play in what proved to be the last match of the Spaniard’s career. He’s played Djokovic once before and lost.
“What I remember from the last match is I actually played pretty good – lost 6-3, 6-1,” he said.
Earlier, Brazilian teen sensation Joao Fonseca rallied from a break down in the third set to beat Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
The 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, who became the 10th-youngest ATP Tour champion in history when he triumphed at the Argentina Open last month, kept his cool on a blustery day in the California desert, winning the last five games to clinch the match.
In women’s first-round action, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic eased past Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-1 in just 65 minutes.
Bencic, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist in 2021, captured the title in Abu Dhabi in February, her first trophy since she returned from maternity leave during which she gave birth to daughter Bella last April.
