Struff stuns Zverev at Indian Wells for biggest career win

Alexander Zverev crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters on Monday, managing to win just four games against compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff.

The 55th-ranked Struff beat Zverev 6-3 6-1 to advance to the fourth round of the tournament, where he will meet Milos Raonic.

Raonic, seeded No.13, accounted for American qualifier Marcos Giron in three sets.

Later on Monday, rain brought a premature event to the evening session, leaving world No.1 Novak Djokovic‘s match against Philipp Kohlschreiber unfinished.

Djokovic won the opening game before the heavens opened in the second; the match has been rescheduled for Tuesday.

Struff needed just 70 minutes to hand Zverev another heavy loss at a big tournament; Zverev fell 6-1 6-1 7-6(5) to Raonic in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

German @Struffitennis defeats countryman and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-1 in #BNPPO19 3R. That equals biggest win of Struff's career (d. No. 3 @StanWawrinka in 2016 @RolexPMasters 2R).

— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) March 11, 2019

Zverev revealed he was suffering from a virus in the Californian desert.

“It’s about getting healthy and about recovering and preparing myself for Miami,” he told atptour.com. “Miami is the tournament I do well in, history-wise (compared to Indian Wells).”

He belted 26 winners to Zverev’s 11, while keeping his unforced error tally lower in the process. He has now won three main-draw matches at an ATP Masters tournament for the first time in his career.

NEWS: Muguruza advances past sick Serena at Indian Wells

In other results, 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic beat Prajnesh Gunneswaran of Indian 6-3 7-6(3) to advance to the last 16. He will next face either Dominic Thiem or Gilles Simon.

Serbian teen Miomir Kecmanovic, a lucky loser in the main draw, continued his fairytale run with a straight-sets win over recent Rio Open champion Laslo Djere.

The 19-year-old lost to Giron in the final round of qualifying, yet took fifth seed Kevin Anderson’s place in the draw – thus earning a first-round bye – and then beat Maximilian Materer and now Djere to advance to the last 16.

Lucky loser ?? last 16

Kecmanovic beats Rio Open champion Djere 6-2 7-6(3) – and look at what it means! #BNPPO19 pic.twitter.com/Y1TEaUCoLN

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 11, 2019

Kecmanovic will next play Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, who beat Canadian young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime in a three-set thriller.

Auger-Aliassime had control of the match when leading by a set and a break, but couldn’t subdue the lefty, who advanced to the last 16 at Indian Wells for the second time in three years.

Auger-Aliassme had won eight of his last 10 matches coming into the contest.

Felix Auger-Aliassime gave Yoshihito Nishioka full credit for the win, but said that he went through a patch where he felt fatigued physically on Mon.

"In the second, yeah, I had a bit of a hole. I couldn't find my energy again. I couldn't find that power again." #BNPPO19

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) March 12, 2019

"Coming back from ahead is not easy." -Mary Carillo.

Down 1-5 in the third set, Felix Auger-Aliassime steels and rallies force a tiebreak, goes up 5-3, but then Yoshihito Nishioka climbs back to win 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(5). Fun, fun match.

Faces Miomir Kecmanovic in the #IW19 R16.

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 12, 2019

“It’s very tough to play in that situation,” Nishioka told atptour.com. “(I was) feeling very mad when he came back because I had a chance to win already, three match points. But he saved them with really good shots… I just tried my best and I found a way, finally.”

In-form Frenchman Gael Monfils dominated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, winning 6-0 6-3 in just 70 minutes.

Monfils has gone 13-2 since the Australian Open, and will take on either Djokovic or Kohlschreiber next.

Also advancing to the last 16 was No.7 seed Dominic Thiem, who comfortably beat 27th seed Gilles Simon 6-3 6-1 to set up a meeting with Karlovic.