KYRGIOS STRIKES A CHORD
NICK KYRGIOS lit up the Australian Open with an extraordinary comeback in the second round, featuring smashed rackets, saved match points and blazing rows with the umpire.
Roared on by a partisan crowd making up in passion what they lacked in numbers, the Australian overcame Ugo Humbert in five stormy sets and brought to life a tournament that had, with so many Covid restrictions in place, seemed somewhat flat.
Yet much of the usual controversy which follows Kyrgios around was not all his own doing this time. Already a set and a smashed racket down, he was serving at 30-30 to level the match and hit what he thought were two aces, only for a let to be called both times – prompting him to implore umpire Marijana Veljovic to override what seemed to be malfunctioning net-chord technology.
‘It’s ruining the game. Do you not understand that?’ he claimed.
Kyrgios did win the set but was deducted a point for a second code violation in the third as Humbert relentlessly served out to lead 2-1. The French 29th seed was on the brink of victory until Kyrgios came alive at the end of the fourth set, saving the two match points before roaring through the tie-break.
Another row about let calls early in the decider seemed to inspire the world No.47, who clinched the set to seal a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 win.
Afterwards he said: ‘Honestly if you were in my head I was just thinking about all the s*** I was going to cop if I lost that match. It was one of the craziest matches I’ve ever played.’