Nick Kyrgios leaves tennis world gobsmacked in 'unbelievable' moment

Nick Kyrgios has continued his sparkling form on grass ahead of Wimbledon, marching into the quarter-finals at the Stuttgart Open.

Kyrgios took two hours to take down Georgian fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili on Thursday, advancing to the last eight of the event for the second time in his career with a 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 victory.

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The Aussie star, who also reached the semi-finals at the Wimbledon lead-up event in 2018, looked in fine form after an eventful week which began with his bags going missing in transit from Australia to Germany.

He had to play his first-round doubles match alongside Alexander Bublik in a pair of clay-court shoes, before being reunited with his luggage in time for his singles clash against Jiri Lehecka in the first round.

Nevertheless he managed to win both matches.

Against Basilashvili, the Australian moved into a higher gear, banging down 20 aces and winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points.

He even left himself gobsmacked with one absurd winner in the second set, smacking a flat forehand straight past his opponent at lightning speed.

The Aussie had fans on their feet and even shocked himself, opening his mouth in awe at his own winner.

Leading tennis writer Jose Morgado tweeted video of the shot, writing "Oh my god", while the Tennis TV account described it as "unbelievable".

Kyrgios said after the match: "He is a hell of a player, the World No.25 for a reason, and he has beaten some great opponents, so I knew he is dangerous.

"When he gets in his groove he is hard to get out of. I am just really happy with the way I competed."

Kyrgios' win sets up a quarter-final meeting with Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who beat third seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 6-7 (9-11) 6-3.

Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas set up clash

Earlier, two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray defeated Bublik 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to earn his place in the quarter-finals.

The 35-year-old Briton saved three set points in the second, coming back from 5-2 down to win in one hour and 42 minutes.

"It's nice to be back at this stage," said Murray.

"This was a solid win and I'll try and push through to the semis.

"When I was down in the second set it was frustrating, I was thinking of what I could do differently.

"He hit some great shots - but some that you wouldn't teach. The multiple drop shots were unexpected."

Murray will next meet No.1 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker 6-3 6-4 for his first win on grass since June 2019.

"My game is built for grass courts, I can 100 per cent have good results on this surface," Tsitsipas said.

"But it might take a bit of time. I want to get the most out of my game and push it to the limit."

Murray and Tsitsipas famously clashed at the US Open last year, with the Brit fuming at how long his Greek opponent took during a toilet break.

The shock of the day saw German Oscar Otte upset fourth seed Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4) and set up a meeting with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Italy's Lorenzo Sonego beat another German Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4) in a match which had been suspended on Wednesday due to rain. He'll next play compatriot Matteo Berrettini.

with agencies

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