Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios defeated fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a wild and wonderful Wimbledon third-round slugfest that threatened to spiral out of control on Saturday. The 27-year-old Kyrgios produced scintillating tennis to secure a 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7) victory, but the match was largely one of the worst tempers I’ve seen at Wimbledon. as will be remembered. for decades.
The eagerly awaited Court One clash was the hottest ticket in town, even with Rafa Nadal playing on center court. It didn’t disappoint either, with great tennis catastrophic as both players lost their heads.
With the lights on and a deafening atmosphere it was unseeded Kyrgios who emerged from the chaos with one of his finest Grand Slam victories, overcoming a nerve-wracking fourth set tiebreak after saving a set point. Kyrgios claimed victory with a drop shot and he will enter the last 16 for the fourth time with serious title aspirations.
box office.@nickkirgios beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7)#wimbledon pic.twitter.com/pEz7tltCOd— Wimbledon (@wimbledon) 2 July 2022
Next is unseeded American Brandon Nakashima. For most of the high-octane first set it was the quality of tennis of both players that impressed.
Kyrgios was churning himself in his usual way but lost his cool with umpire Damien Dumusois after an overruled line call at 5-5 in the first set. Tsitsipas was focused on the task at hand to win the tiebreak and had a great chance of regaining control at 4-4 in the second set when Kyrgios took a 40-0 lead with two terrible drop shots, but with a second serve. Saved a break point. the ace
The fireworks actually began when Tsitsipas served a 4-5 o’clock stay in the set. Kyrgios was previously warned of an audible obscenity after being reported by a line judge, but responded by breaking Tsitsipas’ serve after the Greek failed to take off the smash.
In his desperation, Tsitsipas hit a ball that narrowly missed a fan’s head to earn a warning. Kyrgios said Tsitsipas should have missed, called the umpire an “disgrace” and called an observer.
After returning from the toilet break Tsitsipas was bullied into being the unintentional villain in the Kyrgios pantomime. Struggling to maintain his composure, Tsitsipas dropped serve early in the third set, then received a point penalty to begin a wild comeback from Kyrgios’ underarm – cannonballing the ball into the scoreboard.
With his blood boiling, Tsitsipas drilled a close-range smash drill directly on Kyrgios in the next game, causing him and the court to disappear as the atmosphere turned toxic. Excited by the crowd, Kyrgios delivered a sensational serve and wrapped up the third set with a scintillating reflex volley.
Kyrgios, who was fined for spitting at a fan after a first-round win over Paul Zub, had three break points in the first game of the fourth game, but as if there was not enough play, awkwardly slipped and Grabbed his hip in pain. Tsitsipas got out of trouble and Kyrgios showed no ill effects, bringing the temperature down a bit.
“I have the utmost respect for him”@nickkirgios Greetings! @steftsitsipas After their duel on the No. 1 court#wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Tof1S6LWSR
— Wimbledon (@wimbledon) 2 July 2022
Kyrgios curled an audacious forehand to earn a break point 3-3, but Sistipas persevered and kept roaring in defense. Descending, Tsitsipas had 0-40 in the next game, but Kyrgios made his way out of trouble before a short break to close the roof and turn on the lights – giving the crowd a breather. A welcome opportunity.
On the resume, Kyrgios saved a set point with a backhand winner and another with an audacious half-volley drop shot in the tiebreak. Another drop shot served their second match point after which the players exchanged a brief handshake.