INDIAN WELLS, Calif. _ Nick Kyrgios of Australia has been known as the bad boy of tennis for his tantrums and whining, and deservedly so. But the tempestuous 21-year-old is making definite progress toward using his considerable skills and becoming known as a giant-killer instead.
Kyrgios, seeded 15th at the PNB Paribas Open, used his thunderous serve and clever shot-making to upset second-seeded Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-6 (3), in the fourth round Wednesday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Kyrgios, who had beaten Djokovic in their first encounter at the quarterfinals of a tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, a few weeks ago, clinched the victory on his second match point when Djokovic sent a return long. Kyrgios then pumped his fist and went to the net for a pat on the back from Djokovic before jumping in jubilation on the court.
Kyrgios had broken Djokovic _ who is ranked No. 2 in the world _ in the first game of their first set and continuously kept Djokovic off balance with a serve that often exceeded 135 mph. Kyrgios closed the first set with an ace.
Kyrgios advances to the quarterfinals, where he will play Roger Federer, who defeated Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-3, on Wednesday.
In another fourth-round match, No. 4 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan won the last five games of the second set from Donald Young to earn a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Also, Pablo Carreno Busta advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Dusan Lajovic. His quarterfinal opponent will be Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who upset No. 11 David Goffin, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In women's play, No. 8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the women's semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
