World No. 1 Novak Djokovic suffered his heaviest ever defeat in a three-set match when he was knocked out of the Vienna ATP tournament by 'lucky loser' Lorenzo Sonego on Saturday (NZ time).
Italian Sonego, ranked 42 and who had initially lost in qualifying last weekend, is the first 'lucky loser' ever to beat Djokovic.
His 6-2, 6-1 quarter-final stunner was Djokovic's heaviest ever defeat and it's only the second time in the Serb's career that he has managed to win just three games in a match, the previous occasion coming against Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open.
Sonego's first top-10 victory capped a dream week for the 25-year-old, who lost the final qualifier but entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
Sonego's first top-10 victory capped a dream week for the 25-year-old, who lost the final qualifier but entered the main draw as a lucky loser after Diego Schwartzman withdrew from the tournament in the last minute.
"For sure it's the best victory of my life," says Sonego "I played so, so good today. I like this tournament, I like the conditions here. It's unbelievable."
Djokovic, who now has a 39-3 record in 2020, said knowing that he had already secured the year-end number one spot in the rankings affected his performance.
The 33-year-old, who will not be defending his Paris Masters crown, is already looking forward to the season-ending ATP Finals.
"I've done what I needed to do and why I came here. I move on completely fine with today's result and looking to the next chapter," says Djokovic. "I'm healthy and looking forward to a strong finish in London."
Earlier, Russian Andre Rublev ousted defending champion Dominic Thiem 7-6(5) 6-2, firing 30 winners and saving both break points he faced.
With neither player dropping serve in the opening set, it was Rublev who managed to swing the momentum his way in the tiebreak with what he described as "two unreal rallies" at 4-3 before early breaks in the second allowed him to seal the tie.
Rublev is seeking a Tour-leading fifth title of the year having won in Doha, Adelaide, Hamburg and, most recently, St Petersburg earlier this month.
"I came here with the mood that I have nothing to lose," says Rublev. "I already [had] a really great season.
"I came here with zero expectations, just to do my best. To try to fight every match. At the end, I am here in the semi-finals."
Reuters
