Novak Djokovic ended his participation in the hard-court tennis tournament in Basel, Switzerland, after suffering a surprise second-round defeat.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to world number 47 Jan-Lennard Struff. The German achieved an impressive turnaround and prevailed with 6:7(4), 7:5, 7:6(5) after 2 hours and 37 minutes of play.
The match offered a serious battle, with Djokovic managing to pull out the first set after a tiebreak, won with 7:4.
However, Struff did not give up and found a way to restore the tie after winning the second part with 7:5.
The decisive third set also became a real thriller. The two reached another tiebreak, in which Djokovic demonstrated character and saved three match points. Despite the Serb's efforts, the German managed to close the match with 7:5 points and deliver one of the big surprises of the tournament.
This was the ninth clash between the two at the professional level and the first this year. Djokovic had won eight of his eight matches so far, but Struff finally managed to break the losing streak and record his first win against the Serbian legend.
In the quarterfinals, the German will face Portugal's Nuno Borges, who is ranked 53rd in the world.
The two have two previous matches against each other, with Borges winning both without dropping a set.
Thus, Struff will try to continue his impressive performance in Basel and achieve his first victory against the Portuguese, having already eliminated one of the most successful tennis players in history.