, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and put on a deeply convincing display of power and finesse.){kind=link}
Nick Kyrgios has had a phenomenal season, and it just keeps getting better and better. On Sunday, he reached his first quarterfinal in New York by defeating No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, the defending champion of the men’s singles event at the U.S. Open. Kyrgios won 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and put on a deeply convincing display of power and finesse.
The match that took place on Sunday in the fourth round was played at a fast speed and reached its pinnacle in terms of the mutual level of play in the blistering first set. Both players saved three set points by appealing to the sold-out audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium for encouragement, but Nick Kyrgios was the one who ultimately ended up winning the match after 63 minutes.
Kyrgios immediately regained possession of the match after Medvedev went out to a 40-0 lead in the third set. Kyrgios broke service in the fourth game of the third set after Medvedev had surged out to a 40-0 lead in the previous game. Medvedev will lose his No. 1 ranking after the U.S. Open. Kyrgios, an explosive Australian who tossed his racket many times out of fury on Sunday, took control of the key points and his own service games from that point on, and he closed off the triumph with his 21st ace to claim the title.
Kyrgios, when asked about his skill while on the court, said, “I’m just thrilled I’m finally able to show New York my potential. ”
It was a surprise result considering the seedings. Medvedev is No. 1. Kyrgios is No. 23. Kyrgios currently has a 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head series and, despite the fact that he is 27 years old, he has been playing the highest level of consistent quality tennis of his whole career in recent months.
After reaching his first Grand Slam singles final in July at Wimbledon, where he was defeated in a tight match by Novak Djokovic, he followed that up by winning the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. last month and by defeating Medvedev in the second round of the National Bank Open in Montreal. Both of these victories came after he had reached the final of his first Grand Slam singles tournament.
Kyrgios has struggled in the U.S. Open for a long time, despite the fact that he possesses a strong serve and is adept at playing on fast courts. In all of his prior eight competitions, he had never advanced beyond the third round. This time around, he has made it all the way to the quarterfinals and has a good shot of going even higher. His next challenger will be the Russian player Karen Khachanov, who is ranked 27th overall. Matteo Berrettini of Italy, ranked No. 13, will take on Casper Ruud of Norway, ranked No. 5 in the second quarterfinal that will take place in the top half of the men’s draw.
If Kyrgios can sustain the level he demonstrated on Sunday, he is undoubtedly a danger to any guy who is still in the running for the U.S. Open singles championship, and none of the other four players have ever won a major singles title.
Kyrgios said that he would want to go all the way, and he expressed his optimism that this would be feasible.