NEW DELHI: Qualifier
Luca Nardi
delivered the biggest win of his career by defeating world number one
Novak Djokovic
6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the ATP-WTA
Indian Wells Masters
.
Nardi, ranked 123rd in the world, halted Djokovic's 11-match winning streak at Masters events, achieving a childhood dream of triumphing over his
tennis idol
.
The 20-year-old Italian, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after a withdrawal, displayed remarkable composure and resilience throughout the match.
Breaking Djokovic for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set, Nardi maintained his poise to secure the victory, closing out the match with a match point ace.
Reflecting on his remarkable achievement, Nardi expressed his elation, stating, "Before this night no-one knew me. I hope the crowd enjoyed the game; I'm super happy with this one."
Describing his win as a "miracle," he added, "I'm a guy ranked outside the top 100 in the world and now I'm beating Novak -- crazy, crazy."
Djokovic, gracious in defeat, attributed his loss to a subpar performance on his part, acknowledging Nardi's deserving victory. "He deserved to win. I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad," Djokovic admitted.
Elsewhere in the tournament, several other matches unfolded with seventh seed Holger Rune securing a victory over Lorenzo Musetti, while fourth seed Daniil Medvedev overcame
Sebastian Korda
in a hard-fought encounter. Norwegian Casper Ruud and Frenchman Gael Monfils also advanced to the next round with notable wins.
In the women's draw, reigning Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff progressed to the fourth round with hard-fought victories. However, former number one Naomi Osaka suffered a defeat at the hands of Elise Mertens, signaling an early exit for the Japanese player.
(With inputs from AFP)
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