Nick Kyrgios' kind act amid epic Cincinnati meltdown

Nick Kyrgios’ epic meltdown at the Cincinnati Masters had many fans calling for the ATP to take strong action, but the Aussie maverick still showed onlookers why young fans adore him with a classy gesture at the end of the match.

The 24-year-old Australian overcame a calf concern and a 5-2 deficit to take the first set before his mental demons took control during the 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 loss to the Russian eighth seed Karen Khachenov.

Kyrgios took umbrage with umpire Fergus Murphy, who he has previous history with, over his monitoring of the service clock and berated the Irishman for most of the match.

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The Aussie will potentially face heavy penalties from the ATP after smashing numerous racquets and also appearing to spit in the direction of the umpire after one of his rants.

Despite Kyrgios visibly seething at the on-court drama he still found time immediately to walk over to a young boy in the front row of the crowd and hand him one of his racquets.

The gesture, amidst all the drama, did not go unnoticed from some fans.

Kyrgios faces fines

He became obsessed with the issue, repeatedly calling Murphy a "potato" and labelling him a "disgrace" and the "worst ref in the world".

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Murphy eventually responded by handing Kyrgios a point violation after Khachanov won the second set tiebreaker to level the match, when the Canberran overstepped the mark by screaming out an obscenity.

Kyrgios then followed this up by asking for a toilet break. He took two racquets with him and smashed them in the players' tunnel before returning to the court.

While Kyrgios was still capable wowing the crowd with the occasional winner in the third set, his focus was gone and he conceded a break in the sixth game by attempting a tweener drop volley.

After a double fault handed Khachanov the match and the players shook hands, Kyrgios told Murphy "you're a f***ing tool bro" and appeared to spit in the direction of the umpire before he shunned the traditional handshake.

But the temperamental star may face significant fines for smashing two racquets in the vicinity of the court, verbally abusing Murphy, and not actually using the bathroom after requesting a toilet break.

Khachanov will play Frenchman Lucas Pouille next, with the winner likely to face off against top-seeded titleholder Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals.

Earlier, Australian No.2 Alex de Minaur posted a significant 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 second-round win over American Reilly Opelka.

The world No.38 faces Yoshihito Nishioka on Friday, with victory over the Japanese also likely to earn de Minaur a US Open seeding.