'One way traffic': Tennis world stunned by Nick Kyrgios demolition job

Nick Kyrgios has put the ATP Tour on notice that the Miami Open, with a straight-sets drubbing of world No.7 Andrey Rublev completed in less than one hour.

The mercurial Australian hopeful banked one of his biggest wins in recent memory by overwhelming the Russian star 6-3 6-0, incredibly doing so after dropping an early first set break.

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An aggressive gameplan on the return was key to Kyrgios being able to stifle much of the fifth seed's game, with Kyrgios attributing the win to playing 'the right way'.

Fighting his way back up the ATP rankings after being absent for much of the 2021 season, Kyrgios should return to the top 100 thanks to his good turn of form in the past few months.

Winner of five of his last six matches, Kyrgios' form to start the Miami Open has been impressive after he courted controversy for throwing his racquet in the aftermath of his Mexican Open loss to Rafael Nadal, which bounced and nearly hit a ball boy.

"I don't think I played unbelievable, I just played the right way," Kyrgios told Tennis Channel.

"Against Rublev, you know he wants to try and dictate, to have a lot of rhythm, and I didn't give him that today.

"I tried to slap as many winners as I could, serve well and get up the court on my return and it worked."

Tennis fans were thrilled to see a focused Kyrgios playing at his bombastic best, with his aggressive returns in contrast to the deep baseline style frequently employed by rivals.

Kyrgios will now face Italy's Fabio Fognini in the third round.

The 26-year-old said he is 'at peace' with his life off the court, believing his experience on tour was now at a point where he was able to accept things wouldn't always be easy.

“I’ve been on tour for nine years. I know some weeks will be incredible and some will be shocking. I’m not on that rollercoaster life anymore where I really enjoy those highs and almost drown my sorrows with the lows," he said.

“That’s healthier for me.”

Kokkinakis follows Kyrgios' footsteps with huge Miami Open upset

It was also a big day for his doubles teammate and good friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The world No 97 upset No.13 seed Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-7 (7-3) 6-4 in a high-quality match.

Both registered high first-serve percentages - 94 and 95 per cent - with Kokkinakis winning five of 11 break points as opposed to Schwartzman's five-from-10 effort.

Only five points separated the two, with Kokkinakis eventually progressing to meet qualifier Denis Kudla in the third round.

Kyrgios had earlier been fined $25,000 ($33,000 AUD) for nearly hitting a ball boy after smashing his racket and yelling an audible obscenity during his Indian Wells loss to Rafa Nadal earlier this month.

The 28-year-old Australian also swore at a fan during the match as he repeatedly clashed with the crowd and the chair umpire.

Kyrgios was fined $20,000 ($A27,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct and $5,000 ($A6,000) for an audible obscenity, an ATP spokesperson said in a statement.

Nadal said after the match the ATP needed to review things and make decisions to avoid a repeat of similar incidents and a number of players have called for stiffer penalties to curb outbursts after a series of incidents in recent matches.

American Jenson Brooksby threw his racket in frustration and accidentally hit a ball boy during his first-round win over Federico Coria at this week's Miami Open, for which he received a point penalty instead of a default.

Last month, world No.4 Alexander Zverev received a one-year probation following an expletive-filled tantrum at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco, where he smashed his racket against the umpire's chair and verbally abused him.

Zverev, who was expelled from the tournament, was fined $40,000 ($A53,000) and forfeited more than $31,000 ($41,000) in prize money before being handed a suspended eight-week ban and being fined an extra $25,000 by the ATP following a review.

With AAP

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