Indian Wells favorite dumped out as opponent | Sports News

No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev suffered a shock defeat to Dutch tennis player Tallon Griekspoor on Friday, as the favorite was eliminated from the Indian Wells Open at the Round of 64 stage. Griekspoor came from a set down and edged two tie breaks to beat Zverev, before writing the world “finally” on a television camera.

Tennis players signing cameras isn’t a new phenomenon, with Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all writing messages in the past. But after a thrilling win over the World No. 2, Griekspoor decided to join that list.

It’s unclear what he meant when signing the camera, as it took Griekspoor six match points to beat Zverev, and he was also 0-18 against top-five opponents before Friday’s clash. Griekspoor will now face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the next round, and should he progress to the Round of 16 stage, he could face U.S. tennis star Frances Tiafoe.

There was barely anything to separate Griekspoor and Zverev, with both players winning 18 games, but the World No. 2 continues to struggle for consistency after reaching the final of the Australian Open earlier this year. “Beating Sascha was such a mental thing,” Griekspoor said.

“I lost to him 4 times last year. Absolute heartbreak at Roland Garros where I was up a double break twice in the 5th. I played so many battles against him where I had chances in all of them and they all went his way. Incredibly proud of this performance today and to finally get over the line.”

It was the eighth meeting between the two tennis stars, with Zverev still leading 6-2 despite his unexpected exit from Indian Wells. Griekspoor’s win on Friday ended a run of five-straight defeats against Zverev, who admitted after the match that he doesn’t enjoy playing against the Dutchman.

“I always struggle against him, he’s a complicated player for me, for sure,” said Zverev. “Even though I [have] won, a lot of them are tight matches. He played a good match, there’s no question about it, but I have to look at myself a little bit. It’s nowhere near where I want to be.”

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Zverev is still yet to win a Grand Slam, but started the year well after going 18-4 in major tournaments last season, a career high. Zverev lost in straight sets to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2025 Australian Open, and appears to have lost all momentum.

The World No. 2 has suffered premature exits in the Argentina Open, the Rio Open, the Mexican Open, and now at Indian Wells. There’s still over two months for Zverev to turn his performance levels around before the French Open, where he is already emerging as one of the favorites.

Clay is one of Zverev’s preferred surfaces, and he reached the final last year after reaching the semi-finals in 2021, 2022, and 2023. However, Carlos Alcaraz is also tough to beat on clay, as he’s continued the Spanish dominance after Rafael Nadal retired.