Botic Van de Zandschulp surprises Djokovic and crosses with closing it in Indian Wells | ATP Tour

Indian Wells

Van de Zandschulp surprises Djokovic and crosses with Cerú in Indian Wells

The Dutchman will cross the Argentine closing it in R3

March 09, 2025

Botic Van de Zandschulp gave the big surprise on Saturday when he went down to the five-time champion of the Novak Djokovic tournament 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 at the BNP Paribas Open of Indian Wells.

No. 85 of the PIF ATP Rankings took advantage of a first set of Djokovic plagued with errors, before bringing out its skill on the decisive set to impose itself in two hours and a minute. With his eighth victory over a rival of Top 10, Van de Zandschulp added two consecutive wins in the ATP Tour for the first time in 2025.

“I think I kept calm throughout the game,” said Van de Zandschulp. “The second set was very hard, he got a great advantage. But I think I did well by putting the 5-3 to recover the impulse a bit. I think I started well, surviving one or two games in the third set, and then I broke and turned him around. I know that if I enter the game and lose calm, especially against the great players, it will be a very hard day.

Djokovic, who owns the title record (40), finals (59) and semifinals (78) in Masters 1000 of the ATP, aspired to match Rafael Nadal as a player with more victories in the tournaments of this category (410). However, the 37-year-old Serbian was unable to maintain the impulse and Van de Zandschulp matched the Lexus ATP Head2head 1-1 series.

After his retirement against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Australian Open, the Serbian has linked two more losses against Matteo Berrettini in Doha and now in Indian Wells against Van de Zandschulp. It is the second time that Djokovic loses three games in a row since the beginning of the 2018 season (Australia Open, Indian Wells and Miami).

Meanwhile, the Argentine Francisco Cerúndo him ripped his participation in Indian Wells to overcome 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 to the American Mackenzie McDonald, after two hours and 18 minutes of the game. Now, the Argentine will be measured before Van de Zandschulp, in a very good opportunity to continue advancing in the first ATP Masters 1000 of the year.

Cerúando will try Monday to break its third round barrier the first ATP Masters 1000 of the year against Van de Zandschulp, a rival to which he does not keep any previous record in the Lexus ATP Head2head so far.