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Tennis world loses it over Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray news

Andrew Reid
·4-min read
Andy Murray (L) and Nick Kyrgios will square off in an eye-catching Stuttgart Open semi-final. Pic: Getty
Andy Murray (L) and Nick Kyrgios will square off in an eye-catching Stuttgart Open semi-final. Pic: Getty

Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray will go head-to-head for the seventh time on the ATP Tour, after a stunning development at the Stuttgart Open that's left tennis fans in a frenzy.

Murray claimed one of his biggest wins since undergoing hip surgery in 2019, in a stunning six-year first against World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Murray, the world No.68, defeated the Greek top seed 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in one hour and 40 minutes, in what was his first win over a top-five player since 2016.

The 35-year-old Scot said on court: "It was an amazing atmosphere.

"Almost full crowd. Beautiful weather today, really nice conditions to play tennis. I thought I did well. He served unbelievably in the first set.

"I played a really solid tie-break and in the second set, once I was in the rallies, I felt like I was dictating a lot of the points. It was a good performance."

Kyrgios booked the semi-final date against his good friend Murray after the Aussie quarter-final opponent, Marton Fucsovics, had to withdraw during the second set.

The 27-year-old Aussie, who also reached the semi-finals in this pre-Wimbledon event in 2018, went through after his Hungarian opponent withdrew while trailing 6-7 (3-7) 0-3 against Kyrgios.

Kyrgios, the World No.78, skipped the whole clay-court season but has been in good form in Germany.

The Australian put out the No.5 seed, Georgia's Nikoloz Bailashvili, on Thursday and was again dominant on serve against Fucsovics, who was unable to gain so much as a break point before calling an untimely end to proceedings.

Seen here, Nick Kyrgios playing a backhand during the quarter-final match against Marton Fucsovics at the Stuttgart Open.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios plays a backhand during the quarter-final match against Marton Fucsovics at the Stuttgart Open. Pic: Getty (Christian Kaspar-Bartke via Getty Images)

Kyrgios and Murray are good friends despite their very different characters, but the Scot has won five of their previous six meetings.

Kyrgios said: "I know what to expect but he also is a veteran on the grass and I don't want to take him lightly at all. I'm just going to go out there, serve big, look after my serve and see what I can do on his return games."

Kyrgios and Murray last met at Queen's before Wimbledon four years ago, when the Australian secured his only victory, in three sets, but theirs has been a compelling rivalry.

Before that, the three-time grand slam winner had beaten Kyrgios on all five occasions, including at all four grand slams.

Nick Kyrgios-Andy Murray showdown excites fans

Fans were left salivating on social media at the prospect of the mouth-watering semi-final showdown.

The other semi-final will be between Germany's Oscar Otte and Matteo Berrettini, of Italy.

In Nottingham, Australians Jordan Thompson and Alexei Popyrin both moved into the semi-finals, where they will face each other.

Popyrin beat Britain's Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-4, while Thompson defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets 6-2 4-6 6-3.

In the women's singles, Aussie Anna Tomljanovic was beaten in straight sets by Viktorija Golubic 6-2 7-6 (8-6).

with agencies

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