AGONISING LOSS FOR KYRGIOS
AUSTRALIAN Nick Kyrgios has come up just short of reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final, after Roger Federer’s season of resurgence took another thrilling turn in an enthralling Miami Open semifinal.
Kyrgios survived two match points in the second-set yesterday but could not save a third as fourth-seed Federer prevailed 7-6 (11-9) 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-5) in a contest that lasted three hours and nine minutes.
“I showed a lot of fight,” Kyrgios said. “Obviously I’m an emotional guy. I had some ups and downs, a bit of a roller coaster.
“Ultimately I thought I put in a good performance. I thought the crowd would have enjoyed it.”
Federer had won eight straight tie-breaks before dropping the second set to No.10 seed Kyrgios.
“It’s great winning this way,” Federer said. “It could have gone either way. It was a nail biter.”
Federer progresses to a third meeting with long time rival Rafael Nadal in 2017 — and 37th in total. Their first encounter on tour was 13 years ago at Key Biscayne, which the Spaniard won.
The Swiss ace has won both encounters against Nadal this year, including the Australian Open final, and has a win-loss record of 18-1 in 2017.
The 35-year-old was his usual clinical, unflappable self, but Kyrgios went a long way to changing his reputation and will have picked up a host of new fans.
Despite some trademark outbursts and a delay of game warning in the third set, the 21year-old exhibited acts of sportsmanship, conceding a point after advising Federer to challenge, and showcased the undoubted talent — including his trademark ‘tweeners’.
Unable to deny two-time Miami Open champion Federer the victory, Kyrgios angrily smashed his racquet on the court before sharing a warm exchange with his opponent at the net.
Earlier in the day, Nadal was so eager to reach the final for a fifth time that he ran out of his shoe.
Chasing a shot in the second set of the semi-final against unseeded Fabio Fognini, Nadal lost his right sneaker — and the point.
But the Spanish fifth-seed quickly regained his footing in a routine 6-1 7-5 victory.