Alexander claimed the opener and led 4-1 in the final set. Instead of toppling the lower-ranked opponent, Alexander dropped the final five games and propelled his rival toward his first top-10 victory. Zverev did not feel well in Acapulco, and it reflected on his campaign.

That’s Zverev right now, who lost to Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) in his first match at Indian Wells — as the top seed no less — on Friday.

Sascha confirmed that he did not have a particularly positive feeling with the first Masters 1000 of the season and was immediately eliminated by Tallon Griekspoor, who took advantage of the chance available to him to take another very significant victory after beating Daniil Medvedev in Dubai.