Djokovic out in Barcelona second round

Monitoring Desk

Barcelona: Former world number one Novak Djokovic fell to a surprise defeat by Slovakian qualifier Martin Klizan in the second round of the Barcelona Open.

Klizan, ranked 140th in the world, beat 12th-ranked Djokovic 6-2 1-6 6-3. The Serb hit 19 winners but struggled with his backhand, notching 22 unforced errors and winning just eight of 13 points at the net.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal plays fellow Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena later on Wednesday. Djokovic, a 12-time Grand Slam champion, has failed to reach the last eight in any of his five tournament appearances since making his return from an elbow injury.

Earlier, Japan’s Kei Nishikori retired from his second-round match against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Nishikori, who lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday, was trailing 6-3 before retiring with pain in his right thigh.

Bulgarian second seed Grigor Dimitrov beat France’s Gilles Simon 6-2 6-1, while Australia’s Dominic Thiem beat Spaniard Jaume Munar 7-6 (10-8) 6-1.