Temperamental Kyrgios quietens his mental demons and beats World No. 1 Medvedev to make 1st QF
NEW YORK: For three-hours on Sunday evening Nick Kyrgios turned the Arthur Ashe Stadium into a dazzling Broadway production. His tennis matched his talk. He had 21 aces and 53 winners. The opera of audacity.
Daniil Medvedev - the defending champion and World No. 1 - was not feeling his best, it wasn't an excuse, as he reminded the media that he had lost to the Aussie weeks ago in Montreal when he was feeling just fine. The Russian stuttered on his lines in the US Open fourth-round clash which was a Nick Kyrgios show all the way - 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The 27-year-old has a novel pre-match routine, he arrives on court in basketball shoes which he then replaces with tennis soles. His gear is styled by his love for the team sport, a loose vest, under which he wears a t-shirt. His cap is worn in the reverse. The cosmetic changes, if any, is barely noticeable, but there seems to be a significant shift in the professional character.
Kyrgios it seems has finally learnt to embrace the chaos he creates on a match court. And around it.
The World No. 25 was mouthing off at his box nonstop on Sunday, which is a Kyrgios premium.
His team is often directed, and not very politely at that, to stand up and clap for him after every point. His girlfriend Costeen Hatzi left her seat briefly early in the second set and he was dropping games as if they were hot iron rods. He swore at his racket and argued with fans, got a code violation warning for audible obscenity and ranted at chair umpire Eva Asderaki. He even recovered from a mid-match gaffe that saw him run around the net to put away a Medvedev miss hit!
Kyrgios dialled spectators for love and resided in his opponent's head rent free. His 'let's go' war cry is almost always directed at the full houses he brings to tennis matches, and just before he returns to position, he throws a glance at his opponent as if to remind him whose house the man is in. Earlier, that's before early June, since when he has racked up 26 wins, the most on the ATP Tour in that time frame, Kyrgios often was confused by the cross wires he brings into contests, losing matches and himself to lesser opponents. Now, eight years after his shock win over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, he put down another world no. 1, this time for the second time in the season, raising the possibility of what was once anathema to him --consistency on the big stage.
"I struggled for the first six-seven years of my career. I had great results, shocking results, I tried really hard, then tanked (matches). I just didn't know how to deal with it," said Kyrgios, who plays Russian Karen Khachanov in the last-eight on Tuesday.
"I look back, it was all a learning process, I've matured so much. I embrace it all -playing bad, playing good. I stay the same. Before I used to ride the highs and lows way too much and I was exhausted."
With this loss Medvedev will lose his top spot in the ATP rankings on Monday. Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud are in a three-way race for the No. 1 ranking.
