Melbourne: Volatile Australian Nick Kyrgios smashed a racquet, delivered underarm serves, ranted at the umpire and saved two match points Wednesday on his way into the Australian Open third round.
The 25-year-old drew a raucous, socially distanced crowd to his favoured John Cain Arena and kept them highly entertained, with the atmosphere electric in a gripping clash with Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
He eventually came through 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 after 3hrs 25mins against the 29th seed to set up a blockbuster clash with third seed Dominic Thiem.
Playing to the crowd, the unseeded Australian unleashed an underarm serve to catch the Frenchman off guard and win the game for 2-2.
It didn’t take long for more drama to unfold, with Kyrgios taking issue with the let machine after two questionable calls, demanding the umpire reset it.
This high over the net, he gestured to the umpire. ‘Reset the machine, because the ball is this far off the net. Look at the replay.’
Meanwhile, Nadal shrugged off any lingering back soreness to storm past qualifier Michael Mmoh on Thursday for the loss of just seven games, brushing off a bizarre incident that saw fan thrown out.
The world number two has been struggling with tightness in his lower back since arriving in Australia last month, but showed few signs of it with the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena.
He crushed the American 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a match interrupted in the second set when a woman was ejected after heckling him and directing rude gestures in his direction.
The Spanish great took it in his stride, grinning and playing football with the ball while he waited, seemingly enjoying having spectators back.
Asked afterwards whether he knew her, he replied: No, and honestly I don’t want to know.
Meanwhile, a tearful Sofia Kenin admitted the pressure of defending a Grand Slam title for the first time had proved too great after she tumbled out of the Australian Open in the second round on Thursday.
The 22-year-old American looked a shadow of the player that won her first major title at Melbourne Park and reached the French Open final last season as she succumbed 6-3 6-2 to Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi on Margaret Court Arena.
Elina Svitolina’s experience came to the fore on Thursday against teenage sensation Coco Gauff, as the world number five eyes a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The Ukrainian lifted in the pivotal moments of the free-wheeling contest to move into the third round, with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in one hour and 17 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. It was a really high-level match and when I had chances to break I took it, said Svitolina, who hit 19 winners and broke once in each set.
Svitolina’s precise hitting overcame the dangerous Gauff, who showed flashes of the form that fuelled her dazzling run last year at Melbourne Park, but she lacked the consistency of her hardened opponent.