After the number 2, Dominic Thiem, the Erste Bank Open have also lost their number 1 in the quarter finals. Very surprisingly, Novak Djokovic lost to Italian “lucky loser” Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets.
Sonego stunned Djokovic with a great start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first and the Italian number 42 in the world didn’t waver and got the lead over the finishing line.
There was a similar picture in the second set. Sonego again got two breaks and while Djokovic couldn’t convert one of his six break points, the Italian added a third break to seal the match at 6-1 in the second.
Djokovic composed
Djokovic took the loss in stride: “He played really well today and I just didn’t.” Djokovic already looked forward to the ATP finals: “I will do everything to prepare the best I can for the tournament. In London, there are only the best players of the year and you only have matches against top 8 players.” The number 1 also thanked the crowd: “It was nice to have this support again, just like the way we are used to it.”
Evans also moves on
Sonego will, equally surprisingly, be joined in the semis by Daniel Evans. The Brit beat favorite Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.