Tsitsipas’ No 1 hopes fall by the Desert as Thompson upsets Greek in Indian Wells second round

Thompson will face Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in the next round

Stefanos Tsitsipas during the 2023 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Image Credit: AI/Reuters/Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

March 11, 2023

BNP Paribas Open •Second round • completed

See draw

J. ThompsonvsS. Tsitsipas

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas came into the ‘Sunshine Double’ (Indian Wells and Miami) with a chance to leave as world No 1 by the end of the back-to-back Masters Series events.

However, those hopes were dashed on Friday as the second seed was knocked out in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters by Australian Jordan Thompson.

The 28-year-old Thompson scored the second top 10 win of his career, the first since 2017, to beat Tsitsipas 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5) in two hours and 37 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

To have a win like that is incredible.
Thompson

“It’s unreal. At a Masters 1000, in the (Indian Wells) Tennis Garden here,” Thompson said after his win. “It’s one of my favourite tournaments, I think a lot of players’ favourite tournaments to play. To have a win like that is incredible. (I’m) really happy.”

In the first round of the Indian Wells Tennis Masters, the Australian defeated the former world No 6 Gael Monfils (6-3, 6-1). The Frenchman was playing his first match since August 2022 due to injury.

Thompson, ranked No 87, will face Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo next. Tabilo upset the 32nd seed Maxime Cressy 7-6, 7-6 in another second round match on Friday.

Tsitsipas had complained of his shoulder bothering him while speaking to the press on Media Day, saying that he did not feel he had a chance to go deep in Indian Wells or Miami and was hoping to be 100 percent for the clay court season.