Nick Kyrgios crashes out of Aus Open after moment of madness

Live by the sword. Die by the sword.

The statement is what makes Nick Kyrgios who he is – but the eight words will be sour in his mouth this weekend after he let slip what could have been one of his greatest wins at the Australian Open.

Ice-cool Dominic Thiem rallied from two sets down to tame the flamboyant Aussie in front of a raucous crowd hours before Melbourne goes into coronavirus lockdown.

Kyrgios produced a virtuoso performance in the first two sets, using every trick in the book, including underarm serves and tweeners, as he fed off the energy at a boisterous John Cain Arena, his favourite court.

But he couldn’t sustain the intensity as US Open champion Thiem, last year’s runner-up, found his groove with some dominant serving to fight back and outlast the 25-year-old 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.

A spot in the final 16 started to slip from Kyrgios’ fingers when his attention turned to hecklers in the crowd, a stubborn umpire and his own highlights reel, with his emotions and temper bouncing around like the balls on court.

Not even a swig of Pepsi could save him.

Nick Kyrgios couldn’t get over the line. Pictures: AFP, GettySource:Supplied

It was all Thiem needed, and – in the blink of an eye – the world No. 3 had ripped the match out of Kyrgios’ grasp.

“It was my first match against Nick on his favourite court with an amazing crowd, there are easier things to do,” Thiem said.

“That is one of the tougher challenges we have in our sport, you never know what is coming. Nick is a huge player when he is on fire, like today.”

“You know, I always prefer playing in front of a crowd, even if they are not for me,” he added.

Austrian Thiem came into the clash after dropping just six games in his previous match, in contrast to Kyrgios who played a draining and emotional five-setter.

Kyrgios said Thiem was the better man on the night.

“He’s a hell of a player, he’s so disciplined, he’s so composed. His level doesn’t drop. It is what it is,” he said, adding that the fans were magnificent.

“Obviously atmospheres like that are special and not many people get to play like that,” he said.

“I embrace it every time I’m out there.”

Kyrgios broke Thiem in the first game and immediately began revving up the mostly mask-less crowd, gesturing for them to get up and cheer.

Nick Kyrgios was happy for Dominic Thiem. (Photo by Paul Crock/AFP)Source:AFP

Fans were out in force for the match, the last time the tournament will see spectators for at least five days after a lockdown was announced in Melbourne to counter a growing coronavirus cluster.

Ever the showman, Kyrgios sent down a cheeky underarm serve and attempted a tweener in his first service game, unsuccessful gambles that nevertheless didn’t prevent him consolidating his lead.

Thiem appeared nervous, missing easy shots, while struggling with Kyrgios’ thunderbolt serves that occasionally clocked in at over 221kmh, with the Australian racking up seven aces in the opening set.

They went shot-for-shot in the second but Kyrgios was still firing big serves and with Thiem standing far back, outrageously aced him with an underarm, sending the crowd wild.

Thiem appeared intimidated by the noise and when he sent a forehand wide to be broken in the ninth game, Kyrgios turned to the crowd with a huge grin on his face.

To top it off, he pulled off another underarm ace to win the set. But Theim lifted in the third set and finally broke Kyrgios’ resistance to go 2-0 up and started to dictate the rallies, winning the set as the Australian began shaking his head and muttering to himself.

With frustration creeping in, Kyrgios dug deep to hold serve in a 13-minute marathon opening game in the fourth set and it went with serve until Thiem made the breakthrough for 5-4 with a glorious crosscourt winner.

Kyrgios regained his swagger in the fifth but ultimately the cool head of Thiem prevailed, breaking for a 4-3 lead and completing a gripping contest with a sizzling backhand.

The sight of a raucous crowd on John Caine Arena cheering on Kyrgios was a fitting end before the Open goes behind closed doors without crowds for at least the next five days.

Kyrgios was just a few points away from making it the perfect farewell.

– with AFP

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