This Week in Tennis: Indian Wells Rolls On

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Zverev, Djokovic shocked early

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev was shocked in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open by Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). It’s the second consecutive tournament that Zverev has been upset as the No. 1 seed after he lost to teenager Learner Tien in the Round of 16 in Acapulco.

“At the end of the day, I'm just not playing good tennis at the moment,” said Zverev. “It's as simple as that. I'm not playing a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia. I'm just disappointed with my game. That's No. 1 thing for me.”

The world No. 2 is scheduled to get back on the court next week in Miami.

Sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic was also eliminated in his first match at Indian Wells, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to Botic van de Zandschulp.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner has now suffered three straight defeats, having lost to Matteo Berrettini in Qatar and Zverev (via retirement) at the Australian Open. It’s the first time since 2018 that the world No. 7 has lost three matches in a row.

Van de Zandschulp, one of the tournament’s lucky losers, will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the third round.

Rough second round for Canadians

Four Canadians entered the singles draw at Indian Wells but only one remains after the second round.

Denis Shapovalov cruised to victory in round two, defeating qualifier Adam Walton 6-3, 6-2. He will battle second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the next round on Monday.

Félix Auger-Aliassime could not continue his early 2025 momentum, dropping his opening match to Jenson Brooksby in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, while Leylah Annie Fernandez lost to Jaqueline Cristian 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a hard-fought three-set match.

Gabriel Diallo had his run at Indian Wells come to an end on Friday after he was bounced by 20th seed Arthur Fils in the second round in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. The Montreal native got into the main draw as the lucky loser and advanced to the second round following a three-set win over Zhizhen Zhang.

Raducanu returns to the court

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu returned to the court in Indian Wells for the first time following an incident with a fan at the Dubai Open Championships.

The 22-year-old had been approached by a man at the Dubai event where he left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress, the government of Dubai’s media office said.

The man was ejected from the venue and banned from all WTA events.

She lost 6-3 6-2 to Moyuka Uchijima but said the events in Dubai did not affect her form at Indian Wells.

"I didn't have what happened in Dubai in my head at all today. If anything, [it was] a bit of a lack of preparation on the tennis court, playing someone who played pretty good in these extremely awkward conditions,” Raducanu said following the match. "I think it depends what sort of frame of mind you are in. I think all the players will say, if they are feeling good, it's great. If they are not, it can be more difficult and challenging.”

In 2022, while Raducanu was still a teenager, a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her.

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Feature Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour