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Djokovic, who had a 39-2 record this year,
failed to convert a single break point in a 6-2 6-1 loss while
Sonego broke the Serb five times for the biggest win of his
career.
Sonego's first top-10 victory capped a dream week for the
25-year-old, who lost the final qualifier but entered the main
draw as a lucky loser.
"For sure it's the best victory of my life," Sonego said in an
on-court interview. "I played so, so good today. I like this
tournament, I like the conditions here. It's unbelievable."
Djokovic said knowing that he had already secured the year-end
number one spot in the rankings affected his performance and the
33-year-old, who will not be defending his Paris Masters crown,
is already looking forward to the season-ending ATP Finals.
"I've done what I needed to do and why I came here. I move on
completely fine with today's result and looking to the next
chapter," Djokovic said. "I'm healthy and looking forward to a
strong finish in London."
Earlier, Russian Rublev ousted defending champion Thiem 7-6(5)
6-2, firing 30 winners and saving both break points he faced.
With neither player dropping serve in the opening set, it was
Rublev who managed to swing the momentum his way in the tiebreak
with what he described as "two unreal rallies" at 4-3 before
early breaks in the second allowed him to seal the tie.
Rublev is seeking a Tour-leading fifth title of the year having
won in Doha, Adelaide, Hamburg and, most recently, St Petersburg
earlier this month.
"I came here with the mood that I have nothing to lose," Rublev
said. "I already (had) a really great season.
"I came here with zero expectations, just to do my best. To try
to fight every match. At the end, I am here in the semi-finals."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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