The curse of Kyrgios strikes again

NINE double faults, 16 aces, erratic behaviour, an unsportsmanlike conduct code violation and a loss to world No. 94 Nicolas Kicker, a week before the French Open.

Welcome back to the Nick Kyrgios roller-coaster.

Kyrgios managed to lose his Lyon opener 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to the Argentine from a position in which he appeared to be cruising.

The Australian fourth seed and world No.19 ripped through the opening set, serving six aces to blast the qualifier off the court.

Kyrgios, 22, was still cruising at 4-4 in the second set — even with an uncustomary four double faults at that stage — before it all went awry.

Kicker, 24, made a couple of shots, and in a “blink and you missed it” moment Kyrgios netted a second serve to drop the second set.

He spent the break between sets repeatedly dropping his water bottle on to the court at his feet, until a ballkid picked it up and gave it to him.

Kyrgios appeared aloof and even tried hitting a tweener early in the next set, when he could have hit a regulation forehand.

Kicker duly passed him and ran away with the match as Kyrgios picked up a code violation.

The win set Kicker up for a quarter-final against Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who beat Italian veteran Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4.

There was better news for Australian fans in Strasbourg, where Sam Stosur easily accounted for Madison Brengle to reach the last eight.

Stosur’s 6-0, 6-1 victory was the identical result to her firstround win over Yingying Duan. Sixth-seeded Stosur will meet fourth seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who defeated Christina McHale 6-4, 6-1 in the quarter-finals.