Raquet-breaker Kyrgios loses

Murray, Wawrinka advance to 3rd round; Keys out

PARIS (AP) – Nick Kyrgios’ talent is undeniable. So is his temperament.

Docked a point for smashing rackets, the 18th-seeded Kyrgios went from a set and a break up in the French Open’s second round to a swift loss, ceding 16 of the last 19 games while being beaten 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday by Kevin Anderson.

As men’s tennis searches for the face of its next generation, perhaps someone who one day will fill a void left by folks such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, there are those who believe Kyrgios, 22, has the flashy game and attention-attracting personality to fit the bill.

Still, it takes on-court success to lead a sport, and Kyrgios’ uneven attitude during matches can derail him at a moment’s notice. That happened Thursday, and it was noticed by Anderson – a 31-year-old South African ranked 56th and only once a quarterfinalist in 31 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments.

“While he was sort of getting into his own head and struggling with some (of) his own battles,” Anderson said, “I didn’t give him a way to get back in the match.”

Other seeded players lost on Day 5 of the claycourt major, when No. 1 Andy Murray and No. 3 Stan Wawrinka moved into the third round.

Those exiting included No. 12 Madison Keys – bothered by her surgically repaired left wrist, the American was eliminated by 290th-ranked qualifier Petra Martic of Croatia 36, 6-3, 6-1 – No. 20 Barbora Strycova and No. 29 Ana Konjuh among the women, and 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych and 2013 French Open runner-up David Ferrer among the men.

None, though, departed quite as destructively as Kyrgios, who has proven capable of beating stars such as Federer and Nadal, but also been prone to fits of pique, not to mention losses before the fourth round at six of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments.

After taking the opening set and leading 4-2 in the second Thursday, Kyrgios fell apart.