The world number one, Novak Djokovic, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Vienna tournament after being swept off the track this Friday by Italian Lorenzo Sonego (42nd) by a resounding 6-2 and 6-1.

It is only the second defeat with the racket in hand for Djokovic this season, after the one suffered against Rafa Nadal in the final at Roland Garros three weeks ago.

The Serbian had also lost but by disqualification at the US Open. Djokovic had not fallen against a player so low in the ATP rankings for more than two years. Lorenzo Sonego is also a ‘lucky loser’ (repeated after falling in the qualifying rounds) at this event in the Austrian capital.

Another favorite also fell this Friday. Local Dominic Thiem (3rd), who had defeated Chilean Cristian Garin (22nd) in the second round, fell 7-6 and 6-2 to Russian Andrey Rublev (8th).

In this way, Sonego expects a rival between Daniel Evans (33rd) and Grigor Dimitrov (20th) who are playing at the moment, and the other semi-final will be between Kevin Anderson and Andrey Rublev.