Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who is the reigning world number one, suffered a shocking loss in the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open on Friday. Djokovic was up against lucky loser, Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, who breezed past the reigning world number one, 6-2, 6-1, to enter the semis.
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Sonego, who was unseeded in the tournament, is currently ranked 42. Incidentally, he also became the first Italian to beat a world number one after Fabio Fognini, who won against Britain's Andy Murray in 2017. It was also his first competitive win against a player in the top-10.
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The Italian outplayed the Serbian, with double breaks in the opening set. While Djokovic seemed to be playing with a casual approach, initially, it became difficult for him to get back, as the match progressed. The second set became even tricky, as Sonego earned a double break again, while he saved six break points in the match.
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Djokovic was notable in the game for his high number of unforced errors. Also, it was his casual forehand error in the opening game of the first set, where Sonego earned the break, as it set the tone for the entire match.
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Consequently, the Italian was happy following the win, while he hailed the Serbian as the best in the world. "For sure, it's the best victory of my life. Novak is the best in the world. Today, I played so, so good. It's unbelievable. It's amazing. I played the best match in my life. I'm so happy for this," he said, following the game.
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"I was focussed on my tennis. Today, I played good. I served so good, I returned good, and I played the best tennis and moved so good the ball. I like it here, I like the conditions. It's so fast for my serve. All good today," added Sonego.
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Meanwhile, Djokovic sounded unmoved by the defeat, as he believed that his job was done following the opening two wins of the tournament, that sealed his number one spot for the year. "Clinching the year-end number one had an effect on me. I have done what I came here for, securing the number one. And, I'm completely fine with today's result. I'm healthy and looking forward to a strong finish in London (the season-ending ATP Finals)," he said.
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"He just blew me off the court, that's all. He was better in every segment of the game... it was a pretty bad match from my side, but amazing from his side. He definitely deserved this result," concluded Djokovic.
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