Djokovic Falls to Arnaldi in Madrid Open Upset

Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of his 100th career title was cut short by Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, who secured a victory against the Serbian player with a score of 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

Djokovic, seeded fourth, experienced his second consecutive early tournament exit, following his initial loss to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo a couple of weeks prior.

Arnaldi, currently ranked 44th globally, celebrated only his second triumph against a top-five player and marked the occasion by writing ‘OMG’ on the camera lens after his notable win.

Despite an initial 2-0 lead, Arnaldi regained momentum in the eighth game, successfully breaking Djokovic’s serve. The Italian concluded the first set in a swift 48 minutes.

Djokovic, a three-time champion in Madrid, committed 20 unforced errors in the opening set alone, culminating in a total of 32 errors throughout the match.

“He has been my idol. I was happy I had the opportunity to compete against him. This match was a victory for me,” Arnaldi stated, highlighting his dynamic performance on the court.

“Considering that he isn’t at his peak form currently, I aimed to deliver my best performance and seize the win. It worked out, and I’m at a loss for words.”

Other Matches

Elsewhere, Lorenzo Musetti, who was competing for the first time since reaching the final in Monte Carlo, defeated Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, setting up a third-round match with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Musetti is close to entering the top 10, holding a career-high rank of number 11 as he entered the tournament.

Musetti mentioned his efforts to avoid constantly checking the ATP rankings until he officially secures his spot in the top 10.

“I am trying to avoid looking this week,” the 23-year-old stated, who has risen to number nine in the live rankings as of Saturday.

Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, faced a setback when her serve was broken at 5-4 in the second set against Anna Kalinskaya during her third-round match. However, she managed to recover and secure a 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) victory in one hour and 48 minutes.

Keys had previously lost to Kalinskaya earlier in the month in Charleston.

“I recognized the need to improve my play following my previous defeat,” Keys commented.

As a semi-finalist in Madrid last year, Keys is set to face either her compatriot Emma Navarro or Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the round of 16.

Coco Gauff, the American fourth seed, comfortably defeated her fellow countrywoman Ann Li 6-2, 6-3, paving her way for a round-of-16 encounter with Belinda Bencic, the Swiss Olympic gold medalist.

Mirra Andreeva, the seventh-seeded teenager, continued her impressive streak in WTA 1000 tournaments this season, advancing to the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Polish 27th seed Magdalena Frech.

The 17-year-old Russian, who secured consecutive titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, is scheduled to compete against Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva for an opportunity to reach her second consecutive Madrid quarter-final.