Alexander Zverev was stunned in his Indian Wells opener, as Tallon Griekspoor came from behind to knock out the top seed.

The German had taken the lead in the topsy-turvy clash, but Griekspoor eventually prevailed in the mammoth three-hour six-minute match, claiming a 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) win.

Zverev started confidently, seemingly putting his struggles from the South American tournaments behind him as he fought off two break points in the fourth game before going a break up in the next.

Having served to love to take the first set, Zverev had seemed in control, but Griekspoor came out strong, going on a three-game winning streak.

Zverev fought back from 5-2 down though, flipping the script with two breaks to take a 6-5 lead, but with the chance to serve out the match, Griekspoor forced a tie-break and edged out the world number two.

The decider was tight, with both players trading early breaks as they matched each other stride for stride. However, with a 6-5 lead, Griekspoor also failed to serve out the match as Zverev valiantly defended five match points to force another tie-break.

The Dutchman comfortably reeled off the final three points to earn his maiden top-five win at the 19th attempt and will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the next round.

Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios was forced to retire injured from his first match in California. His return to tennis suffered another setback due to a wrist problem, with the Australian trailing Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6 (9-7) 3-0 before having to stop.

" dir="ltr" lang="en" p="">STAR MAKING PERFORMANCE

On his SIXTH match point @Griekii notches a stunning comeback victory over top seed Zverev!!! @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/clFfi2CDtT

 

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 7, 2025

Data Debrief: Zverev's misery compounded

Zverev had started 2025 strongly by reaching the Australian Open final, only to lose to Jannik Sinner, and he has since struggled, racking up early exits in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco.

Since Indian Wells' inauguration in 1976, Zverev has now become the first top seed to lose their opening men's singles match at the tournament after winning the first set.

On the flip side, Griekspoor is the first player to eliminate the top seed in their opening match at the Indian Wells Open since Vasek Pospisil in 2017.

Since the format's introduction in 1990, this is the fourth ATP Masters 1000 event where the top seed's opening match has lasted 3+ hours, with this the first since Cincinnati in 2023.