![]() He had hurt his hand whole diving full-tilt for a volley and was bleeding, which he stemmed with a towel. To be fair, this one time he was not to be completely blamed for the error. There were no breaks of serve, Khachanov committed just two unforced errors (to 11 winners) and Kyrgios hit 23 winners (to 14 unforced errors) as both players upped the ante.Ī crucial moment in the match was when Kyrgios saved two break points at 3-3 and then lost it with the umpire after being given a time violation. The fourth turned out to be titanic tussle within the much bigger battle. His serve was broken for the first and only time in the match, he was unable to convert his first match point in the tiebreak and he began to leak errors. Just like in his last match against Gilles Simon, he led by two sets and a break before a momentary lapse in focus. His lethal serve was firing, the forehand was spinning and the drop shots were a delight as always. Kyrgios took it with a mix of stunning points and looked comfortably placed for an early finish. The 23-year-old Russian put up better defense in the second and a tie-break was required, with both players unable to convert the only break-point chance. ![]() He started the match with a self-assured calm, taking the first set with two breaks of serve despite needing a medical timeout at 5-2. A motivated Kyrgios is always a danger and since his probation and the Australia bushfires, he has seems to be more responsible than ever. And it made for an instant classic.Ī day after Roger Federer trumped fellow Australian John Millman in another fifth-set third-round epic, Kyrgios was up against the Russian No 2 for a potential clash against Rafael Nadal. One who could handle his nerves to play the level of tennis he is capable of more. The Australian who survived a four hour and 26 minutes marathon – the longest match of his career – to win 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8) felt like a different player to the Kyrgios we have seen. Which Kyrgios would turn up? The sentimental one who has rallied the tennis world for bushfire relief or the emotional one who can’t handle himself in big moments? Turns out on Saturday, we saw a bit of both. On probation since then and close to a big suspension if he errs again, the 24-year-old said he was trying hard to change his attitude but that resolve is tested in almost every match.Īs luck would have it, the most stringent test came in a rematch with Khachanov, this time in front of a packed house of home supporters at the Australian Open. They two had played just once before, at the now infamous 2019 Cincinnati match after which Kyrgios was hit with the biggest fine in ATP history. In essence, there is not much to separate them in a close match even if their rankings vary. ![]() Kyrgios uses his abundant natural flair while Khachanov relies on his solid baseline game but both of them are tremendous ball-strikers. When it comes to their tennis, if Nick Kyrgios is a showman then Karen Khachanov could be called a workman.
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