5 Shocking results from 2R matches at Indian Wells 2025 ft. Alexander Zverev, Jelena Ostapenko | BNP Paribas Open
Seeded players were in action on Day 3 (March 7) of the BNP Paribas Open 2025 at Indian Wells after receiving a first-round bye. Defending champion Iga Swiatek commenced her title defense with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 win over Caroline Garcia.
Daniil Medvedev, Elena Rybakina, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Frances Tiafoe, and Zheng Qinwen were among the other notable winners of the day. Danielle Collins' match against Hailey Baptiste went past the midnight mark, and featured plenty of twists and turns.
Collins overcame a one-set deficit to lead 5-1 in the third set. However, she failed to serve out the match twice as Baptiste mounted a late charge. She put an end to her younger rival's fightback with another break of serve to wrap up a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win. While she was able to avoid an upset, a few other players failed to do the same.
On that note, here's a look at five most shocking losses on Day 3 of the BNP Paribas Open:
#5. Ons Jabeur
32nd seed Ons Jabeur's campaign at Indian Wells came to a swift end as she was shown the door by Dayana Yastremska, who won their second-round match 6-3, 6-1. This marks the second consecutive year that the Tunisian left the California desert without a win to her name.
Jabeur did reach the quarterfinals of the season's first WTA 1000 tournament, the Qatar Open. However, since losing to Jelena Ostapenko at that stage, she hasn't won a match. The Tunisian failed to cross the first hurdle in Dubai as she lost to Peyton Stearns, and her poor run of form has continued even after crossing the Atlantic.
As for Yastremska, her reward for beating Jabeur is a date with defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round. She recently lost to her at the same stage in Dubai a couple of weeks ago.
#4. Jiri Lehecka
Former Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie rallied from a set down to beat 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The latter slumped to his third consecutive defeat. He won the title in Brisbane and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open at the start of the year, so this rough patch is a twist in the tale.
However, this was always going to be a tough match for Lehecka, who has struggled against Norrie in the past. The Brit improved his record against his younger rival to 3-1. He also demonstrated why he's a different player when he takes to the courts at Indian Wells, where his record currently stands at 16-5. He will next take on 10th seed Tommy Paul.
#3. Jelena Ostapenko
26th seed Jelena Ostapenko suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss at the hands of Wang Xinyu in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. The former French Open champion had a slow start to the year, and won only one match across her first four tournaments. She caught fire at the Qatar Open, and advanced to the final, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova.
Unfortunately, that hasn't proved to be a turning point for Ostapenko. She failed to win a match in Dubai, and her fortunes didn't improve here either. She was outplayed by Wang for most of the match, and brief moments of brilliance did nothing to alleviate her poor tactics for the remainder of the match.
However, Ostapenko's time in Indian Wells isn't done just yet as she advanced to the second round in doubles with her partner Ellen Perez. Wang, meanwhile, will face fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the third round.
#2. Casper Ruud
Fourth seed Casper Ruud was knocked out by California native Marcos Giron, who won their second-round duel 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2. The Norwegian arrived at Indian Wells on the heels of a stomach bug that forced him to abandon his campaign at last week's Mexican Open.
Ruud appeared to be perfectly fine for his match, and both players competed quite well across the first two sets. However, he wasn't able to sustain his level in the third set, and his serve let him down big time. He threw in six double faults and won only 21 percent of points on the back of his second serve in the decider, which cost him the match.
As for Giron, this is his first win over a top 10 player on hardcourts since October 2023, when he coincidentally also beat Ruud at the Japan Open. He will take on 26th seed Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
#1. Alexander Zverev
The biggest upset of the day was the exit of top seed Alexander Zverev. He battled against Tallon Griekspoor for over three hours, and the latter won the closely contested match 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).
Zverev became the first male player in Indian Wells history to lose as the top seed after claiming the first set. In the absence of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who's serving a three-month ban, many expected the German to make a play for the top spot. He did reach the Australian Open final at the start of the season, so the expectations weren't misplaced.
However, Zverev now has a 4-4 record since Sinner's ban commenced, and his results have gotten progressively worse with every tournament. Griekspoor, meanwhile, will be jubilant after his win. He went 2-15 against top 10 players last year, and has posted a 2-0 record against them this year. He will take on 29th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the third round.