World number one Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters after he was stunned by Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Djokovic, who has won the BNP Paribas Open five times, was out of sorts during the match as he committed 27 unforced errors and could convert only one of five break point opportunities. Kohlschreiber, on the other hand, converted three of his four chances.
The German survived a handful of break points on his serve in the first set and went on to take the second set in an interesting match that wrapped up in a little over 90 minutes.
A video review confirmed that Kohlschreiber's forehand shot caught the line on match point to seal the win over Djokovic, sending the world number one out of the tournament.
In an on-court interview, Kohlschreiber said that it was a “very special moment” and it's an incredible win for him. He observed that playing the top players is a pleasure, but they end up almost always beating the lesser-ranked players.
Djokovic, after being beaten by Kohlschreiber, tipped his cap to the German and said that he has proven that he can “win against top guys”.
Kohlschreiber will meet France's Gael Monfils on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 to meet Kyle Edmund of Britain in the fourth round. Rafael Nadal also moved to the fourth round after crushing Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-1.
