Luca Nardi, a 20-year-old Italian qualifier, stunned world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters, marking the biggest win of his young career. Nardi, ranked 123rd in the world, broke Djokovic’s 11-match win streak at Masters events.
Nardi, who idolized Djokovic as a child, played fearlessly, breaking Djokovic for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set. He sealed the victory with a match point ace three games later. Nardi finished with 36 winners and 41 unforced errors, while Djokovic had 31 errors in just under two and a half hours.
“Before this night, no one knew me,” Nardi said after his win. “I hope the crowd enjoyed the game; I’m super happy with this one.”
Nardi’s victory was a testament to his resilience, as he had only reached the main draw in Indian Wells after a withdrawal. He had been beaten by Belgium’s David Goffin in the final round of qualifying.
In other matches on Monday, seventh seed Holger Rune defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), while ninth seed Casper Ruud advanced past Arthur Fils of France 6-2, 6-4.
In the women’s draw, reigning women’s Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff reached the fourth round with challenging straight-set wins. However, former number one Naomi Osaka was eliminated by Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-4.
