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Van de Zandschulp will next meet five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic.

"I wasn't too confident that I was going to be able to play today, to be honest," Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference. "Two days ago in practice I had to stop my practice because I felt pain in my wrist. I felt like it was okay to take the court. Just got progressively worse... started feeling sharp pain in my wrist."

Kyrgios was making his sixth Indian Wells appearance and aiming for his first tour-level win since 2022 Tokyo. The 29 year-old, who held a set point in the opening-set tie-break, left the court visibly frustrated that he was unable to perform at his best level in the California desert. Kyrgios played with athletic tape wrapped around his right wrist, often flexing that area and grimacing in pain.

Explaining his emotional on-court reaction to the injury, Kyrgios said: “I guess this process has been probably one of the biggest challenges I've faced in my life. Reality, it's not too bad, but for my tennis career, it's by far the biggest. Just the amount of work that goes in when I go back home or when I'm not playing, it's not fun. I know that I can't really be doing any more to try and get back and play.

“I guess it's just the amount of work I put in and I'm still having so much discomfort in my wrist. That's I guess why I got a bit emotional towards the end because it's one of my favourite tournaments.

“After Australian Open, all I did was rehab, train, and then try and get ready for this tournament. I was two days out of the tournament here and I was having a great training session, and literally the second-to-last point in my training session I hit a forehand, I felt a sharp pain, and I had to stop playing.

“We go back to the drawing board as a team, and we just try and figure out and navigate a way to just get through these matches. I would have loved to be able to finish that match even if I lose just as a building block, to say, okay, I went out there and was competing with a very good player, and I had chances and set points and breakpoints. So it's like these building blocks, but now if I'm not finishing matches that becomes a concern.”

A two-time quarter-finalist in Indian Wells, Kyrgios underwent wrist surgery in September 2023. Excruciating pain made it difficult for him to do simple things like turn a doorknob or open a car door. An MRI showed a full rupture of the scapholunate ligament, which provides important stablisation for the wrist, similar to the role played by the ACL in the knee.

The former No. 13 player in the ATP Rankings played just one match in 2023 and after 18 months from that outing, he opened this season by competing in Brisbane and at the Australian Open, falling short in both appearances.

Van de Zandschulp lost in Indian Wells qualifying before receiving a lucky loser spot in the main draw. He will look to earn his first ATP win against the 99-time tour-level titleist Djokovic, who claimed their lone meeting in 2022 (Astana).