Rio Olympics full of stunning upsets
Several shocking performances in the 1st week of competition
By Daniel Goffenberg, CBC Sports
What makes a great upset?
You need an overwhelming favourite, a gutsy underdog, and a stage big enough for the outcome to matter.
The Olympics are the biggest stage around, and with thousands of athletes competing in Rio there are bound to be some upsets. Few, however, could envision what's been happening in the opening week of competition.
These are the best upsets we've seen so far:
Del Potro takes down the Djoker
Novak Djokovic came into Rio as the No. 1-ranked tennis player in the world.
Fresh off a Rogers Cup win in Toronto, the Serbian was looking to win his first-ever Olympic gold medal — he won bronze in 2008.
He might still get a gold medal, but it'll have to come in doubles. The 29-year-old lost his first-round match to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina on Sunday.
Del Potro, ranked 141st in the world by the ATP, had a 3-11 record against Djokovic going into their match, though one of those wins was in the 2012 bronze-medal match at the London Olympics.
Making the feat more impressive was the fact that del Potro spent 40 minutes earlier in the day trapped in an elevator before being rescued by the Argentenian handball team.
The only thing keeping this from being the most shocking defeat so far is the fact that del Potro is only ranked so low because he had to miss much of the 2014 and 2015 tennis seasons with a wrist injury.
The Argentinian still has a way to go to regain the form he showed in winning the 2009 U.S. Open, but he did come into the Olympics having eliminated No. 4 player in the world Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon in his last tournament.
Brazil's soccer team can't buy a goal
There aren't many athletes that have to compete under the amount of pressure currently fixated on the Brazilian men's soccer team.
It was just two years ago where the hosts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup were eliminated from the semifinals by Germany in a 7-1 blowout, the most embarrassing loss the country ever suffered.
The Brazilian side, buoyed by superstar Neymar (teams are allowed to roster three players over the age of 23) have gotten off to a near-disastrous start in group play.
A nil-nil draw to South Africa saw the team booed off the field. Another scoreless match against Iraq saw fans turn on their team.
If Brazil can't beat Denmark on Wednesday, it'll likely fail to make the quarter-finals.
Williams sisters suffer 1st-ever Olympic loss
Serena and Venus Williams had won gold in all three Olympics they competed in as a doubles pair (Serena withdrew from Athens in 2004 with a knee injury).
It didn't matter to Czechs Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova, who handed the Americans their first Olympic loss as a team in 16 matches.
It was the second straight first-round loss for Venus Williams, who was also eliminated from the singles bracket by Germany's Kirsten Flipkens on Saturday.
Zambian judoka eliminates No. 6 Israeli
Zambia, hardly a judo powerhouse, saw one of its athletes pull off a very impressive upset in the men's 66 kilogram division during play in the Round of 32.
Mathews Punza, ranked No. 122th in the world, took out No. 6-ranked Israeli Golan Pollack in bout that lasted just 1:51.
Punza lost in the next round to Slovenian Adrian Gomboc, but still, not a bad outing for the world No. 122.
Canada shocks U.S. in men's volleyball
Canada hadn't sent a men's indoor volleyball team to the Olympics since 1992.
There was no easing into the competition at Rio, with the team having to face the heavily favoured fifth-ranked Americans in its first match.
- SCHEDULE & RESULTS: Men's indoor volleyball at Rio 2016
- WATCH: Canada upsets USA in men's volleyball
The Canadians outplayed their Southern counterparts, walking away with a stunning straight-set victory in front of a raucous crowd at Maracanazinho.
"We're not intimidated by anybody," spiker Gavin Schmitt said after the win. "We're going to go at everybody. We're here to compete."
It doesn't get any easier for the Canadians, with their next match coming Tuesday (9 p.m. ET), against Brazil, the No. 1-ranked team in the world.
World's best archer falls in Round of 16
South Korean archer Kim Woojin set a world record in qualifying, finishing his round with a world-record score of 700.
He already won gold in the men's team competition earlier in the Games and looked like a lock to win his second, until he was taken out in the Round of 16 by Indonesia's Riau Ega Agatha.
"I am a little surprised," said Ega Agatha, who entered the Olympics ranked 29th in the world. "I beat the No. 1. Things are good. I did it."
He'll take on Italy's Mauro Nespoli on Friday, looking for a berth in the quarter-finals.
With files from The Associated Press