Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas stun tennis fans with 'sublime' display
Nick Kyrgios produced one of his finest performances in recent memory to claim an impressive victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Washington Open on Sunday morning (AEST).
The enigmatic Australian was at his peak in the first set, and managed to recover from a second set outburst to claim an exciting 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 win over the Greek top seed.
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In a match littered with high level execution from both players, as well as several amusing asides, Kyrgios once again proved he is one of world tennis’ top talents - when he wants to be.
He clearly wanted it against Tsitsipas, with whom he has developed a friendly, but seriously entertaining, rivalry.
Kyrgios practically cruised through the first set, and secured an early break to go up 2-0 in the second, but nearly went off the rails when one of his frequent bugbears came back to haunt him.
A bit of noise in the crowd was it it took for Kyrgios to be knocked out of his rhythm, and Tsitsipas took full advantage.
The Greek star surged back into the match, before Kyrgios was able to take a gripping third set via tiebreaker.
Enthralling encounter between Kyrgios and Tsitsipas in DC, as NK wins in a third-set breaker to make the final. CAN YOU IMAGINE this as a long-lasting rivalry?
Sublime. Such a thrill to watch. #CO19— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) August 4, 2019
Kyrgios has momentarily halted his meltdown but is down to 1 racquet. Tsitsipas has blown out two shoes and his dad is in the stands putting new laces in for the next one. How can you not love this sport.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 4, 2019
Kyrgios wins the game. 3-2, third set. Whatever you say about Kyrgios, he ain’t boring (neither is Tsitsipas by the way - both great to watch) #AtpTour
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) August 4, 2019
Nick Kyrgios defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Citi Open final in Washington, DC. No matter the antics, Kyrgios was the better player. Period.
— Jill Martin (@ByJillMartin) August 4, 2019
NEVER seen anything like that:
Total points won:
Kyrgios 91, Tsitsipas 91
1st serve points won:
Kyrgios 48/58, Tsitsipas 48/58
2nd serve points won:
Kyrgios 16/33, Tsitsipas 16/33— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) August 4, 2019
Wins against top-10 players in 2019:
7 - Djokovic
5 - Nadal
4 - Bautista Agut, Federer, Thiem... and Kyrgios— Glenn Valencich (@glennvalencich) August 4, 2019
(🎥@TennisTV) pic.twitter.com/8vNFxzdBwG
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) August 4, 2019
Kyrgios, Tsitsipas antics steal the show
As good as the on-court action was, both Kyrgios and Tsitsipas found time to get up to a few light-hearted shenanigans as the match progressed.
Most amusing was a brief interlude for Tsitsipas to find some replacement shoelaces, after the ones on the only pair he had on hand broke.
A decent delay followed to solve the problem, which included the shoes being laced by his dad in the stands, before they were passed back to Kyrgios, who ran them over to his opponent during a change of ends.
It’s rare for such an intense match to be punctuated by such a light-hearted exchange between two players - and fans were absolutely loving it.
How chill is Kyrgios ... no dramas after Tsitsipas' shoelaces cause a long delay. Even running his shoes back to him. Great scenes
— Ben McKay (@benmackey) August 4, 2019
Kyrgios has only two rackets, Tsitsipas is wearing aerobics shoes where the shoelaces keep breaking. This match may not get finished, folks. #CitiOpen pic.twitter.com/OxqBQznJ6E
— Allen McDuffee (@AllenMcDuffee) August 3, 2019
Kyrgios has momentarily halted his meltdown but is down to 1 racquet. Tsitsipas has blown out two shoes and his dad is in the stands putting new laces in for the next one. How can you not love this sport.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 4, 2019
Interestingly, it wasn’t even the first time Tsitsipas’ shoes have given him trouble at the Washington open.
His blowout against Kyrgios was the fourth time it had happened in the tournament, with Adidas reportedly sending him more on short notice to keep him on the court.
Tsitsipas’ struggles have even coined the hashtag #shoegate. Hopefully he’ll get things sorted by the next tournament.