Ailing world number three Alexander Zverev crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells Masters, where Novak Djokovic's third round match was suspended by rain with one game completed.
Jan-Lennard Struff, ranked 55th in the world, notched his first victory over Zverev in five tries, breaking him once in the first set and three times in the second for a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
"I've been sick for a week," said the 21-year-old Zverev, who lost the Acapulco final to Australian Nick Kyrgios the week before Indian Wells began. "That hasn't changed, unfortunately.
"I think I just got unlucky, I got a virus somewhere and that's how it is." Zverev, the owner of three Masters 1000 titles who has never made it to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, said he would now focus on recuperating and preparing for the Miami Masters, where he'll be hoping to improve on his runner-up finish to John Isner last year.
"Now it's about getting healthy and about recovering and preparing myself for Miami, because Miami is the tournament I do well in, history-wise," he said. "Here I have always struggled." Despite the circumstances, Struff was delighted to get a first win over Zverev.
"Yeah, 6-3, 6-1, it's amazing," he said. "Played a good match. He was missing some shots today, but at the end of the day I'm very happy with that."
- Djokovic on hold -
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