Top five biggest upsets at Indian Wells Open 2025 ft. Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic getting knocked out in his opening match at Indian Wells Open 2025 left everyone at the venue stunned.

The ATP/WTA tour in 2025 has begun with more surprises than ever before. The first major of the season, the Australian Open saw two Wildcard pairs face-off in the mixed doubles final. Madison Keys, who made it to a Grand Slam final after eight years, won the final to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. Eva Lys became the first Lucky Loser to make it to the Round of 16 in a Women’s Singles Grand Slam in the Open era.

While Jannik Sinner successfully defended his title Down Under, the men’s singles event also saw some shocking results with the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, and Andrey Rublev facing first-round exits. Daniil Medvedev, who made three of the last four finals in Melbourne, was ousted in the second round. As the tour moved to the first of the Sunshine Double, with the Indian Wells Open, the results were no different.

One of the most attended tournaments after the Grand Slams, Indian Wells Open is one of the marquee events in the tennis Calendar. Players take pride in performing in California and despite all the preparations, the tournament saw multiple upsets right from the first day of the competition. Here’s a list of Upsets from the Indian Wells Open 2025.

Also Read: Top five youngest women’s singles champions at Indian Wells Open

Biggest upsets at Indian Wells Open 2025

#5 Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori – Men’s Doubles – First Round

It has been a case of near yet so far for Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the ATP circuit in the last 16 months. The duo has been sensational for Italy in the Davis Cup as they successfully defended their title in 2024. They have also made it to the finals of the three of the last five Grand Slams but ended up on the losing side on all those occasions. But they tasted success in Adelaide and Rotterdam, lifting the title.

Especially in Adelaide International, where the pair saved four match points. Just when it looked like they were starting to dominate the circuit, another slide followed as they were knocked out in the opening round at Indian Wells.

Seeded third, the Italian pair were broken once in each set and that is all that was required for Australian duo Mathew Ebden and John Peers to send Bolelli/Vavassori home.

#4 Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten – Men’s Doubles – Second Round

More upsets were followed in men’s doubles as the second seeded Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain were shown the doors in the second round. The pair, who are the defending Australian Open champions, were expected to go the distance and clash against Bolelli & Vavassori in the final, with both pairs fielded on different halves of the draw.

But the two-time Grand Slam winning pair had a shocker against Yuki Bhambri and Andrea Goransson. Bhambri/Goransson came into the tournament as an alternate pair. Expected to win comfortably, Haliovaara/Patten started off slowly, losing the first set 2-6. They showed their mettle in the second set pushing it to tie-breaker before exiting 2-6, 5-7 (10-5).

Also Read: Top five players with most main draw appearances in men’s singles at Indian Wells Open

#3 Alexander Zverev – Men’s Singles – Second Round

Alexander Zverev created an unwanted history as he became the first-ever top seeded player to suffer a loss in the opening match of men’s singles at Indian Wells having won the first set. The German has had a tough year despite making a great start to the season making it to the finals of the Australian Open.

Since then it has been a downhill. Going into the Indian Wells Open 2025, Zverev had a 4-3 W/L loss record. He took on Tallon Griekspoor and it was a hard-fought battle that lasted over three hours. It was a heartbreaking loss for the German as he was serving for the match in the second set, but the Dutchman broke it, won the tie-breaker and then closed the game 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

It was a shot in the arm for the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, who was aiming for the World No. #1 ranking with Jannik Sinner being banned for three months.

#2 Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini – Women’s Doubles – First Round

The first-round exit of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini not only was an upset on the court but also sounded like an unrest among pair. Taking on the unseeded duo of Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs, it was expected to less of a challenging game. But it ended up being a one-sided affair, as the 2024 Paris Olympics gold-winning pair of Errani and Paolini never looked on the game.

They were taken aback by the aggressive play of their opponents, committing multiple unforced errors and ineffective rallies. Surprisingly the communication was lacking between the Italians, and their coach was frustrated by the performance as he walked away before the match officially got over.

More than the scoreline of 4-6, 0-6, Paolini’s statement after the match stirred a big controversy. Hope the duo can bury their differences and move on.

Also Read: Top five players with most titles in men’s singles at Indian Wells Masters

#1 Novak Djokovic – Men’s Singles – Second Round

Novak Djokovic’s numbers speak volume about his quality and has been under the spotlight for years. He might not have been top seeded going into California, but he was certainly among the title favourites. After an injury forced retirement in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open, the fans were concerned about him.

Although they were happy to see him back in the Qatar Open, he suffered a shocking first-round defeat against Matteo Berrettini. The tennis community was hoping to see the Serbian ace comeback and win his sixth title at Indian Wells. But it turned out to be a disaster as he was ousted in the second-round having received a bye in the first round.

The fact that it came against a Lucky Loser in Botic van de Zandschulp has raised concerns over the 37-year-old’s form. The Dutch has made a habit of slaying top-players having defeated Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the last 12 months. But Djokovic Shrugged it off, calling it as a bad day in the office.

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