BEVERLY HILLS, October 30, (THEWILL) – Tennis World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was unceremoniously knocked out of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna by lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego, 6-2 6-1.
In what is the biggest win of Sonego’s career, it qualifies the Italian for the Vienna semi-finals. And, what is more remarkable is that less than a week ago, he was not in the main draw at all, falling in the final round of qualifying to Slovenian Aljaz Bedene.
However, since entering into the tournament as a lucky loser, he is yet to drop a set.
“For sure it’s the best victory of my life,” Sonego said in an on-court post-match interview. “I played so, so good today. I like this tournament, I like the conditions here. It’s unbelievable.”
Djokovic had nothing less than six chances to break Sonego in two second-set games but failed to. Instead, the top seed continued to serve up multiple unforced errors with his forehand looking particularly weak.
Although the Serbian seems to have already sealed his place as the men’s year-end number one, winning the title this week would have sealed it.
“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,” Djokovic said. “I’m healthy and looking forward to a strong finish in London [for the ATP Finals].”
Earlier, Russia’s Andrey Rublev ousted defending champion Dominic Thiem 7-6(5), 6-2, firing 30 winners and saving both break points he faced.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
