Kyrgios carves out Stuttgart grass win
stuttgart — Australian struggler Nick Kyrgios tuned in what he called a “terrible” performance but still got past Maximillian Marterer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday at the Stuttgart Cup.
“It was a terrible match, the only thing that kept me in it was my serving,” the fourth seed said after playing his first singles match in two months and firing 20 aces to take the win.
“Nothing went very well for me, the good thing is my elbow didn’t bother me,” said the player whose solid season (Brisbane title) start has been compromised by injuries to his elbow and hip.
“Basically, I didn’t feel great out there, today was pretty average. “And the last three months have been brutal.”
Kyrgios will try to work his way into further form in the quarterfinals when he plays Feliciano Lopez, the grass-loving Spaniard who knocked out Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
Number 24 Kyrgios and the 50th-ranked Marterer combined for 38 aces on the grass of the Weissenhof club as the sun shone consistently for the first time this week. The Aussie is hoping to work his way back into shape after dealing with his run of injuries.
Memories of his 2017 grass misfortuens in Britain remain fresh after Kyrgios was forced to retired injured in opening matches at both Queen’s club and Wimbledon.
“Last year was an absolute disaster,” he said. “But I have three weeks now to get ready for Wimbledon. Hopefully I’ll get better.
“If I lose early again, I’ll be shattered.” Despite his slopping success over Marterer, Kyrgios takes away some confidence after finally getting back onto court. —