Nick Kyrgios advanced past Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos in the quarterfinals of the Citi Open on Friday in Washington, D.C. with a little help from a fan in the stands.
Before serving for match point while up 40-15 against Gombos, Kyrgios asked the crowd where he should serve, and the 24-year-old Australian took the advice of one fan in the front row along the baseline, according to ATP’s broadcasters.
And it worked.
Kyrgios served a spectacular, unreturnable ace at Gombos to take the match, 6-3, 6-3. After winning the point and match, he immediately turned around and sprinted toward the fan who helped him win and gave her a hug.
Not having dropped a set in this tournament, Kyrgios advanced to the semifinals, where he will face Greece’s No. 1 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who also happens to be Kyrgios’ doubles partner. It’s the first time these two will face off against each other.
As great as Kyrgios is playing in the Citi Open, his match point with a fan assist was, of course, only one of his notable moments in the tournament.
The other happened Thursday during his victory over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Kyrgios claimed he did not throw his water bottle at the chair umpire and said it slipped out of his hand.
